Chibified
by Shizuka Usagi
Summary: Sora contracts a strange curse that turns him into a five year old. This leaves Yuffie, Roxas, and Riku to be his caretakers. Roxas & Yuffie.
1. Falling Ill

**Chibified**

_Shizuka Usagi_

* * *

Chapter 1 

Everyone was gathered around where Sora laid in bed. He seemed to have difficulty breathing and his face was very pale. Beads of sweat trickled down his forehead. His onlookers cast him a worried glance. They were currently in Hollow Bastion, trying to figure out what was wrong with the keyblade wielder.

"All of a sudden, he collapsed after our training session. He hasn't gained consciousness since…" Donald said glumly.

"We thought Merlin could help us out." Goofy finished.

"I'm not a doctor, but I'll see what I can do." Merlin admitted. Then he turned to Aerith. "Could you hand me the stethoscope and thermometer over there, dear?"

Aerith nodded and gave him the tools. He checked Sora's basic functions. Although, he had a fever and his breathing was labored, he could find no major changes. His symptoms were similar to those of the flu. However, it seemed it was much more than that.

"How long has it been since he last rested? The boy looks exhausted." Merlin asked.

"Uh… well, we have been fighting the Heartless and Nobodies for quite a while now." Goofy pointed out.

"Exhausted? He's like a train with limitless fuel! He goes on and on and—" Donald began but was interrupted.

"Everyone has their limitations, Donald." Merlin said sternly. "I believe it is best he gets some rest. After a few days if his condition does not improve, bring him back here. Even if he gains consciousness, he should not leave his bed for at least three days. Do you understand?"

Donald and Goofy nodded.

"Now then, who will be his caretaker for the time being? I'm afraid I am too busy to do so. What about you Donald, Goofy?" Merlin inquired.

"We can't either, sir. We have some business to attend to at Disney castle." Donald said regrettably and Goofy nodded.

"We too have business with the Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee." Leon spoke while Cid and Aerith agreed reluctantly.

"This is going to be a problem. We cannot leave Sora unattended to." Merlin stated.

Suddenly, a light bulb went on in Goofy's head. "Hey! What about Roxas and Yuffie? They're the only ones not here who we haven't asked."

"Good idea, Goofy. Would any of you happen to know where they would be?" Merlin questioned.

"Roxas most likely is in Twilight Town. He wanted to do some catching up with his friends." Donald said.

"Yuffie was hanging around the shops earlier. You should be able to find her there." Aerith added.

"Okay, we'll go look for them. It's the least we can do." Goofy said and Donald agreed. "Let's split up. Donald, you check the shops and I'll go to Twilight Town. It'll make things go quicker."

"Please return soon." Merlin said, giving the unconscious Sora a look of concern.

—

"Hmm…what to buy, what to buy? Those shurikens look really nice. Let's see if I can afford them." Yuffie said aloud, taking out her munny pouch. She had obtained a lot of munny from the frequent Heartless and Nobody ambushes. Even with the new defense grid, the Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee had plenty of them to exterminate.

Yuffie's triumphant smile faded once she realized she was one hundred munny short. "What! But last week I could've sworn those shurikens were only 900 munny!"

"The price has risen." Donald's nephew said, overhearing Yuffie's outburst. "Weaponry is high in demand now that the Nobodies have appeared."

"But—but that's not fair! I'm a member of the Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee. I need new and improved weapons to fight the enemy. Shouldn't I at least get a discount or something?" Yuffie demanded.

"What's your proof? Do ya have a membership card?" Donald's nephew asked.

"Of course I do, brat! I'll show you." Yuffie began to search for her card, but was unable to find it. _Oh no! Where is it? _she thought.

"Lost something?" Donald's nephew snickered mockingly.

Yuffie patted all her pockets in a hurry. _Oh crud! Where did I put it? Leon's gonna kill me if I lose it! _she panicked.

"Hey, Yuffie!" Donald called out, causing her to jump.

"What do you—oh, it's you, Donald." Yuffie said. "I'm kind of in a jam right now. So, now is not the best time to talk."

"Uncle Donald!" Donald's nephew shouted enthusiastically.

"What do you want now, squirt?" Donald questioned in mock annoyance.

"I'm just glad to see you, Uncle Donald. We rarely get to see you." He said, referring to his brothers.

"Well, you know how it is, fighting the Heartless and all…" Donald said somewhat boastfully. "Anyway, how is business?"

"Great…except one of our customers seems to be having a problem." He said, pointing to Yuffie.

"What's wrong, Yuffie?" Donald asked. "You seem like you have having trouble."

"Um…well, I seem to have lost my membership card. Heh, heh." Yuffie laughed nervously in embarrassment.

"That's not good at all. Why do you need it right now?"

"See those shurikens up there?" Yuffie pointed at the top shelf of his nephew's stall. "I want to buy them really bad. I've been saving munny for a long time. It turns out I'm one hundred munny short."

An idea popped in Donald's head. "How about I lend you some munny? In turn you have to—"

"Really? Thanks a lot!" Yuffie said, almost squeezing the duck.

"Hey, hey, hey! Let go of me." Yuffie let go of Donald, grinning like the Cheshire cat. "But there's one condition."

"Anything. You name it." Yuffie replied. _I knew there was a catch, _she thought inwardly, _but as long as I get my shurikens I'll be happy._

"You have to take care of Sora for a while. He's very ill." Donald told her seriously.

"What! What happened to him?" Yuffie inquired with shock, suddenly forgetting her self-interests. "Is he okay?"

"Sora fainted after fighting some Dusks." Yuffie gasped. Donald decided to tone down the drama as to not freak out Yuffie. "He has probably just been overworked. Still, we need someone to look after him for the time being. So, are you up to it?"

"Of course I am." Yuffie said willingly. "With the help of the Great Ninja Yuffie, he'll be back on his feet in no time."

—

"Since Sora's sick, I was wondering if Roxas would be able to help him out." Goofy said, after explaining the situation to them.

"Why Roxas? Don't you guys have doctors in your world?" Hayner asked skeptically.

"Of course we do. We just need someone to look after Sora for awhile." Goofy said. "But the law states that we can't just take anybody with us. Since Roxas is part of Sora, he's the only one from another world we can take."

"Doesn't Sora have friends in your world that can take care of him?" Olette asked. _Roxas has been away from Twilight Town for a long time…In fact, we just remembered who he is. I would hate to see him leave so—Stop it this instant, Olette, _she suddenly berated herself. _I must not be so selfish. This is Roxas' decision. Not mine._

"We're all very busy repairing the damage Organization XIII has caused. Donald has also been asking around." Goofy replied.

"You're going to have to ask Roxas' permission. It's not our decision to make." Pence said, voicing Olette's thoughts.

"Pence is right. Roxas should be on Sunset Hill. He's been there a lot as of late." Olette informed.

Olette and Pence both looked at Hayner for feedback. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "If you think he can help, go ahead and ask him. I have no complaint."

"If he agrees, make sure he comes back soon and safe, okay." Olette requested.

Goofy nodded. "Thanks a bunch for the information. See ya." Goofy waved, setting off for Sunset Hill.

_What strange friends Sora has… _they all thought simultaneously.


	2. Leaving Twilight Town

**Chibified**

_Shizuka Usagi_

* * *

Chapter 2

Roxas gazed off at nothing in particular. The sky held the same setting sun as always, except—since it was actually dusk—the atmosphere had an indigo tint to it…though it would never turn black. Few stars were visible, mixed in with the reddish orange and purplish pinks hues radiating from the sun. None of this fazed him, however. The inhabitants of Twilight Town were as used to the continuous sundown as the residents of Transverse Town were used to the everlasting night.

Sunset Hill had come to be his thinking spot. He rarely left it and rarely had a need to leave—apart from coming home and the gang's pestering to spend time with them. Eventually, they came to respect his need to be alone. They knew of his struggle of his past life and his current one, but they didn't quite understand it.

Hayner appeared to be indifferent to Roxas' unusual behavior. He thought Roxas didn't care about them anymore. Even though, that was far from the truth. He was just annoyed that Olette paid more attention to Roxas than everybody else. He did care about him. He was his best friend after all…he just wasn't the type to show it.

Pence was upset because they weren't as united as they used to be. The photographer had all his photos laid out on the floor of his bedroom. His favorite one was the group picture. He sighed as he remembered all the goods times they had together, wondering what would happen to them now. He remembered something that Hayner once said:

_We won't be together forever, you know…_

Olette, the responsible one of the group, often worried about him and his sudden aloofness towards everyone—even them. She was reluctant to let Goofy talk him into leaving Twilight Town. He just came home about a week or two ago. Sora had been the vessel of Roxas for quite awhile, but neither Olette nor anyone in town knew that or of his history in the Organization.

What Olette feared most was that he might not come home again. This most likely wouldn't be the case, but she couldn't help but think so. She made Goofy promise her to bring him home once Sora was well. She hoped he would be well soon—not only for his sake but Roxas as well.

Then again, she had the most peculiar feeling, deep in her heart, that this might also help Roxas find the answers to his questions. She hated to admit it, but most likely he wouldn't be able to find the answers in Twilight Town.

Lucky for him, school would be closed for a month longer.

—

Goofy ambled up Sunset Hill. Once he reached the top, he spotted Roxas, alone, with a distant look on his face.

"Um…Roxas? You there?" Goofy waved a hand in front of his face.

"Huh?" Roxas' vision cleared and he noticed a gloved hand waving frantically in front of him.

"Hiya, Roxas. How ya doing?" Goofy chortled.

"Goofy? What are you doing here?" Roxas asked, taking a step back. He wondered if he was hallucinating again.

"Well, to make a long story short, Sora's feelin' under the weather and I need you to take care of him." Goofy summarized.

"Why me?" Roxas said cautiously.

"Everyone else is busy with the Heartless and Nobodies. You and Yuffie are the only ones left." Goofy responded.

'Yuffie…? Oh, right.' Roxas' memory automatically flashed back to the time Sora and Yuffie first met:

"_Kairi… you're okay," Sora said with relief and joy. _

"_Kairi? Who's that?" Yuffie asked in confusion. "I'm the Great Ninja Yuffie." Yuffie bore a resemblance to Kairi, except she had black hair and a taller structure. However, they had the same dusk colored eyes._

"Yuffie is a gal about your age. She works for the Restoration Committee in Hollow Bastion, where Sora currently resides." Goofy explained.

'Hollow Bastion? Isn't that the place were Sora fought Ansem?' Roxas thought.

"It's a world to the west of Twilight. It's a fortress that surrounds a town." Goofy described.

"Do you know what made him sick?" Roxas asked.

Goofy shook his head. "Unfortunately, nobody knows. Not even Merlin, a wizard from Hollow Bastion. He specializes in magic and spells."

"What can I do to help?"

"Stay by his side and make sure he doesn't overdo himself." Goofy instructed. "If his condition worsens, you are to tell Merlin."

"Do you really think I can help him? I'm not a certified doctor or anything…" Roxas reminded.

"Sure I think you can help Sora. If anybody knows him better than himself, it's you." Goofy informed.

"Well, if you say so. I suppose I can—" Roxas began, but was interrupted by Goofy's triumphant whoop.

"That's great, Roxas! C'mon, you got to see our new gummi—"

"Hold up, Goofy. I wasn't finished." Goofy nodded fervently, allowing him to continue. "Just make sure I get back home before school starts again. Or they will start to worry." 'Not only that, but Olette will probably kill me.'

"No problem. I'm sure Sora will be better by then." Goofy assured. Then he looked up in surprise when he saw three figures running up the hill.

"Roxas, wait up." Olette called out, breathless. Hayner and Pence were at her heels.

"Hayner, Pence, Olette. What are you guys doing here?" Roxas asked.

"We were about to ask you the same question." Hayner said, somewhat angrily. "Were you going to leave without telling us?"

Roxas exchanged looks with Goofy.

"Look, Roxas. If you have to go, then you can go. But…" Olette paused. "You have to promise us you're coming back."

"Of course, I'll come back. Olette—"

"Promise." Olette said in an almost threatening tone.

"I promise." Roxas said with a grin.

Suddenly, Olette threw hers arms around Roxas in a friendly hug. "Have a safe trip."

Hayner's indifferent expression faded and a small smile appeared on his face. He punched Roxas hard in the shoulder. "You better or you'll be sorry."

"Here, Roxas, take this with you." Pence handed Roxas their group photo, his prized possession. "So, you won't forget us."

"Pence…" Roxas said kindly. "I'll never forget you guys. We'll always be together in our hearts."

"Pssh…you're starting to sound like Sora." Hayner said, not really meaning it. "We won't be together for—"

"Don't you say another word, Hayner!" Olette said, yanking Hayner's ear hard.

"Ow…Olette I didn't really mean it. I was just joking." Hayner insisted as Olette's eyes blazed with fury.

"Oh, I almost forgot." Olette let go of Hayner and handed Roxas a ton of homework.

"You've got to be kidding me, Olette." Roxas grumbled, holding up the pile for everyone to see.

"Not in the least." Olette said. "Remember I'm always keeping your minds in top shape, even if you are light years away."

"Olette…" Roxas complained before Goofy placed a hand on his shoulder.

"C'mon, Roxas, let's go. The gummi ship is here."

"Alright, time to go guys." Roxas waved, getting inside the gummi ship along with Goofy.

"See ya." Goofy called out, as the gummi ship was ready for take off from Sunset Hill. Hayner and the others watched from a safe distance.

Along with their cheers, the last words Roxas heard were: "Don't forget to do your homework!"


	3. Arriving in Hollow Bastion

**Chibified**

_Shizuka Usagi_

* * *

Chapter 3

Roxas and Goofy had arrived in Hollow Bastion. As Roxas looked around, he noticed that Hollow Bastion has changed since last year. As the two approached the marketplace, two figures ran up to meet them.

"Goofy!" Donald shouted. "Who do ya have with ya?" Yuffie came up behind him, panting slightly.

"Gosh, Donald. You run fast for a—hey who are—is that you, Sora?" Yuffie stammered aghast. Roxas looked uncomfortable at her scrutiny.

"Yuffie, this is Roxas. He is Sora's—uh—friend from Twilight Town." Goofy explained.

"But… doesn't the law say that you're not allowed to bring aliens to different worlds?" Yuffie questioned.

_Aliens? _Roxas thought confused. _What does she mean by that? _

"Well—um—the king made an exception this time. Since it's an emergency." Goofy answered hastily.

"Fine by me." Yuffie said, easily won over. Then she turned her attention back to Roxas. "I almost thought you guys were twins. You look so similar."

"Um… excuse us a minute, Yuffie." Donald said, ushering Goofy and Roxas ten meters away from the somewhat nosy ninja.

"Listen, Roxas, I don't think we should go tellin' people about the connection between you and Sora. We gotta keep this a secret, okay." Donald said winking.

"Okay…" Roxas replied uneasily.

"The same goes with you, Goofy. Don't screw up." Donald said, as if expecting him to mess up.

Goofy and Roxas thought simultaneously, _Isn't he usually the one screwing up?_

"So, you're here to help take care of Sora, right?" Yuffie asked Roxas once he returned. He nodded in response.

"Okay. Then let's go. Time's a wasting." She said, skipping towards the borough.

"Is she always this perky?" Roxas asked when she was out of earshot.

"Just you wait. This isn't the worst of it." Donald grumbled, causing him an elbow to the side by Goofy.

"We don't wanna give Yuffie a bad impression, do we? They're going to have to live together for a while." Goofy reminded while Donald scowled.

—

Out of nowhere, Heartless began popping up all over the place once Roxas arrived. "What the—"

"Watch out!" Just when a Heartless attacked Roxas from behind, Yuffie threw her shuriken at it, slicing the Shadow in half.

"You know how to fight?" she called out, throwing a kunai at another.

He shook his head. _Not without the struggle club or… keyblade. Hand to hand combat isn't really my thing. _

Goofy pulled out his shield and Donald took out his staff. Yuffie jumped down from the ledge and they formed a triangle around Roxas.

"What is it with these Heartless? They all seem to be targeting Roxas. Like when they do when Sora is around." Yuffie mused aloud.

Suddenly, stronger Heartless and Nobodies appeared. Hollow Bastion's defense grid wasn't enough to keep them at bay. Their escape attempts were blocked by invisible barriers created by the enemy. The trio was beginning to tire out. They couldn't handle so many at once. They had run out of restoration items and Donald's magic was depleted.

"What will we do?" Donald said in desperation.

"We need backup right away." Yuffie huffed.

She took out her communicator from her back pocket. She attempted to contact Leon and the others, but a Nobody came out of nowhere and gave Yuffie a blow to the stomach. She flew across the borough, knocking into the brick wall. The communicator fell from her grasp and was destroyed when it came in contact with the group.

"Yuffie!" Roxas, Goofy, and Donald called out in unison. However, she couldn't reply because she knocked out. The Nobody that attacked her earlier went to do the finishing blow. Goofy and Donald tried to help her but too many enemies blocked their path. Roxas filled with rage. He wasn't going to let someone get hurt because of him. With newfound strength, he flipped over the blockade and ran to protect Yuffie.

"Roxas...get out of…the way." Yuffie breathed, but Roxas didn't listen. He held out his arms in a defensive position and braced himself.

"Roxas, Yuffie!" Donald and Goofy shouted helplessly.

As the Dusk reached to carve out his heart, a flash of light blinded them, causing the Heartless and Nobodies to shriek in pain and vanish. When the light faded away, Roxas was seen hunched over with the Kingdom Key.

"Roxas has got the keyblade!" Goofy exclaimed.

"How did you do that?" Donald questioned.

"Ask questions later. The priority is to help her." Roxas scooped the unconscious Yuffie off the ground. "Where can we get help?"

"Let's take her to Merlin. This way." Goofy and Donald led the way to Merlin's house.

—

Merlin was dusting his spectacles when Roxas, Goofy, and Donald barged in. He almost dropped his glasses in surprise. He was about to scold them for being so boisterous, but then stopped when he saw the unconscious, battered Yuffie in Roxas' arms.

"What in the world happened to the miss?" Merlin inquired as he ushered them to bring Yuffie to his bed.

Roxas laid her down carefully, then turned to Merlin. "We were ambushed by Heartless and Dusks. She was injured by one. Will you please help her?"

"Hmm…" Merlin inspected her wounds carefully. "Luckily, there's nothing fatal. Though there is a stomach wound below her upper torso."

"This is my fault. If I hadn't come here, nobody would've been hurt." Roxas said guiltily.

"It's not your fault, Roxas. You did your best." Goofy comforted, patting him on the back.

"Yeah. It's a good thing you had the keyblade." Donald added.

"Keyblade!" Merlin echoed, almost dropping his roll of bandages. "We have another keyblade wielder?"

"It seems so. When Sora, Donald, and Goofy were asleep, I told his place as the key wielder." Roxas explained.

"Oh, yes, I remember. I was informed that Sora had a counterpart. That must've been you." Merlin recalled.

"Now, we're two separate beings. I'm not his twin." Roxas said firmly.

"Of course, you're much too serious." Goofy supported.

"And a lot smarter…" Donald mumbled, causing Goofy to elbow him again.

"Enough of that. What about Yuffie?" Roxas reminded, bringing them back to reality.

_Their personalities may be different, but they have the same heart. They both care about their friends—even the ones they've just met_, Merlin thought.

"Yes, yes. The wound is pretty deep. This calls for… curaga!" Merlin casted a spell on Yuffie's injury, causing it to close up.

Yuffie stirred slightly, but she returned to her slumber. Her irregular breathing returned to normal. Everyone sighed in relief. Merlin wrapped the bandages around her abdomen so the wound wouldn't reopen.

"Will she be okay?" Roxas asked. His indifferent tone was mixed with concern. Merlin nodded.

"After a day or so, Yuffie will be back to normal. She's a strong girl. She'll make it through."

"But now, wouldn't Roxas have to take care of both Sora and Yuffie?" Donald asked.

"I can handle it." Roxas announced, surprising the three. "I'm stronger than I look."

"I see." Merlin said. "Well, you and Yuffie can stay at the vacant house—the one across from mine. It's already furnished and supplied with essentials. Sora is already there."

"Thank you." Roxas said, taking Yuffie into his arms. Then he left, followed by Donald and Goofy.

—

The house that Roxas would be staying at had two stories. The first floor consisted of a kitchen, dining, and living room. The upper level had two bedrooms and a bathroom. Roxas went into the guest room, opposite of Sora's, and laid Yuffie on the bed.

"Gawrsh, Roxas. Do you think you'll be okay?" Goofy asked.

"Don't worry. I'll be fine. Besides, you guys said you'll check in whenever you can, right?" Roxas replied.

"Of course!" Donald confirmed.

"Why don't we check up on Sora before we leave, Donald?" Goofy asked Donald. He agreed and the three went to check up on Sora.

"He looks okay to me." Roxas said, inspecting him.

"Hmm…he still seems to be having a fever. But it has gone down by a lot." Donald observed.

"That's a good sign. Who knows Roxas? Maybe you'll be able to go home sooner than ya thought." Goofy said.

Roxas just nodded. He had the queerest feeling that things weren't going to go the way it seemed.

"Alright, Roxas, we'd better get going. See ya later." Goofy waved and the two left.

"Goodnight, Sora." Roxas said, glancing at his counterpart before leaving the room.

What he didn't notice was that Sora was glowing ever so slightly…


	4. Becoming Chibified

**Chibified**

_Shizuka Usagi_

* * *

Chapter 4

Roxas awoke the next morning yawning. He stretched his arms out and turned to open his balcony window that revealed the clock tower in Twilight Town. Then… he noticed it wasn't there. _Oh—right. I'm in Hollow Bastion now…_

He rubbed his eyes tiredly even though it was eight or so in the morning. He forced himself out of bed and did his daily wash-up routine. Afterwards, he changed into his usual attire and placed his pajamas into his suitcase. Then he went to go check up on Yuffie and Sora.

Merlin had given him a supply of potions to heal her wound. He took a container and set it on the nightstand beside Yuffie's bed. She appeared to be fast asleep. Her breaths came in and out slowly. She looked so peaceful and calm that he was afraid to wake her up. Who knew what Yuffie was like in the morning? But he knew it would be easier to administer the liquid if she was conscious.

"Yuffie, Yuffie wake up." Roxas gently prodded her shoulder. However, she didn't stir. He looked at her in confusion. _Aren't ninjas supposed to be light sleepers? I doubt she is faking. _

Suddenly, an arm came out and grabbed Roxas around the neck. He yelped in surprise as he was pulled in towards Yuffie's chest. She smiled serenely but her hold didn't slacken. _She is pretty strong for a girl who just had a near-death experience. Augh…_

"Aerith…snore…stop smooching Cloudy…snore…and make me waffles." Yuffie drawled in her sleep. _What in the world is she talking about?_

"Wakey-wakey Yuffums." Roxas said loudly. _Serene my butt. Her snoring is going to make me deaf. _He attempted to remove his head from her death grip but to no avail.

"Darn it, Yuff—"Roxas growl was cut off when Yuffie shifted, causing Roxas to be jerked over her bed.

Their position had changed. Roxas was on top of Yuffie with his hands clutching the sides of the bed. She had her arms around his neck. Roxas found himself blushing furiously. He had never been this close to a girl before. _I was hoping this wouldn't happen. What if someone walks in on us and gets the wrong impression?_

Thankfully, the arms that were around his neck loosened their grasp. Roxas moved carefully off Yuffie, avoiding her stomach. As soon as he was on the floor, he went straight towards the exit of the room. _Maybe it's better if I wait till she wakes up on her own. _His face still had a tint of pink from the awkward situation from before.

He went downstairs to the kitchen to make breakfast. He had to learn how to cook basic meals since his parents were rarely home. Luckily for him, Olette had taught him how to do so. Given that there was a waffle iron and flour in the pantry, he decided to make waffles. _Maybe the aroma will wake up 'sleeping beauty.' _

After preparing the batter, he began to pour it into the waffle iron. As he was tipping the bowl, he heard a shriek, causing him to spill the mix all over his shirt. He cursed under his breath and grabbed a towel on the way up the stairs. "Yuffie! What's wrong?"

"Who the heck is this munchkin?" Yuffie demanded. "He came in here screaming, 'Mommy!' at the top of his lungs."

"Huh? I didn't let any—" Roxas felt something tugging at his khakis.

"Daddy, why did Mommy scweam at me? She's acting wiewd." A young boy with spiky brown hair in all directions asked.

Roxas looked at Yuffie and she shrugged. "Excuse me, kid. But we're not your parents. Why are you here?"

The boy looked up at Roxas and became frightened of his stern, unfamiliar tone. "W-what do you mean, D-daddy? I-I live here!"

"The only ones here are Yuffie, Sora, and I—I don't know who you could possible be." Roxas said in perplexity.

The boy's lower lip trembled and he began to cry. Then he ran out of the room bawling, "D-daddy and Mommy don't know me!"

"Way to go, Roxas. You made the poor boy cry." Yuffie said, placing her hands on her hips.

"I didn't know he would react that way. But there's something strangely familiar about him…" Roxas mused.

"You know, you're right. Let's go ask him what his name is. I could've sworn I saw him somewhere." Yuffie replied.

Roxas helped Yuffie out of bed. Fortunately, she was able to stand without any assistance. "Take this potion just in case." Roxas advised.

As soon as Yuffie downed the potion, they ventured out in the hall to find the brunette.

Yuffie picked up faint sounds of sobbing coming from Sora's room. "Roxas, do you heard that? It seems like the boy went in Sora's room."

He nodded and the two opened the door to his room. When they entered, they saw the little boy crouched on the floor, hiccupping and sniffling.

"Are you okay, kiddo?" Yuffie asked with concern in her voice. As soon as she did, the boy launched himself into Yuffie's arms. The ninja patted him on the back awkwardly.

Roxas surveyed the room and noticed that Sora wasn't there. "That's strange. Where's Sora?" He began to feel apprehensive.

As Yuffie was about to reply, the window crashed open and shadow Heartless appeared. The boy screamed in terror. The Heartless, sensing the boy's fear, strengthened.

Roxas summoned his kingdom key and assumed a defensive position in front of Yuffie and the boy. "Yuffie, take the boy and get someplace safe. I'll take care of these guys."

Yuffie nodded and quickly led the boy out of the room. A shadow attempted to go after them, but Roxas slashed it. "C'mon! I'm your target—not them!"

After defeating all the heartless, he dismissed his keyblade. He led his guard down as he was leaving the room to check up on the two. Another shadow snuck up behind him about to slice his back when a black figure darted in, taking it out.

"You should never leave your guard down, Roxas." The cloaked figure said. Roxas whipped around, taking out his keyblade.

"Who are you?" Roxas demanded. "Are you from the Organization? You couldn't be!"

"Of course not." The figure removed his hood, revealing silver hair and piercing azure eyes.

"Riku!" Yuffie exclaimed, from the doorway with the boy beside her. "What are you doing here?"

"You know him?" Roxas inquired.

"He came to the Hollow Bastion not too long along. He's friends with Sora and Kairi." Yuffie explained, although Roxas knew part of this.

"You're that ninja girl, Yuffie, aren't you?" Riku asked but it sounded like a statement.

"Sure am. But what are youdoing in Hollow Bastion? I thought you went at the Destiny Islands—much too far away from this galaxy. How did you get here so fast?"

"When there's a will, there's a way." He responded with a mysterious smirk. "I was getting bored so I decided to check up on the key bearer." His eyes searched the room. "Where is he, by the way?"

"U-uncle Riku?" The boy spoke up surprised. Then he put on a large grin and ran over to Riku, jumping on him.

_Uncle? _The three thought in unison, staring at the unusually familiar, spiky-haired brunette.

"Who is the squirt?" Riku said, catching the boy and holding him at arm's length. Then he froze as he caught the boy's gaze. _Wait a second…those eyes look like—_

"Say, little boy, you never told us your name. Mind telling us?" Yuffie asked, bending down to the boy's height.

"Don't be silly, Mommy, you know my name. It's Sora, wemembuh?"

"What!" Yuffie shouted in shock, scaring the poor boy. "You can't be Sora. He's fifteen."

"What do you mean, Mommy? I'm only five years old."

"What's going on here? First, he calls us his parents. Then he claims to be Sora." Roxas said.

"Maybe it is Sora. His condition might've caused him to… become a child." Riku said reasonably.

"What!" Yuffie and Roxas exclaimed. "How do you know about Sora's condition?"

"That's the buzz that's being going around Hollow Bastion, isn't it?" Riku said.

"That was supposed to be a secret. What if someone bad finds out?" Yuffie inquired worriedly.

"That's why I'm here." Riku said. "I'll protect Sora."

"Are you implying that we can't?" Roxas said defensively.

"I never said that. But… you guys look like you could use some help."

"The more the merrier." Yuffie said cheerfully. "We'll take all the help we can get."

"We should take him to Merlin to get him checked out. We don't know exactly what caused Sora to become—"

"Chibified!" Yuffie suddenly squealed. When Riku and Roxas gave her strange looks, she explained, "Ya know, since he's like a chibi (little) version of himself."

"Right… we should get—" Riku began but was interrupted by Chibi Sora.

"Mommy! I need to go." Sora whined, hopping up and down in an odd fashion.

"Go where, Sora?" Yuffie asked stupidly.

"I need to go to the bathroom." Sora whined irritably.

"Oh! Right this way." Yuffie led Sora out of the bedroom and down the hall. Riku and Roxas were left behind.

"Let's get going, shall we?" Riku thumped Roxas on the back before sauntering out of the room.

Inexplicably, Roxas felt inferior compared to Riku. He seemed so cool and composed about everything.

_He made me look bad in front of Yuffie._

Why did this matter to him all of a sudden? He didn't know. He merely shrugged it off—blaming it on the rivalry between Sora and Riku. He believed he was experiencing the after effects of being separated from Sora. The effects were beginning to influence his attitude toward Riku.

_I will be my usual self in another week or two, _Roxas thought confidently. At least… that's what he assured himself.

Another thought was bugging him: _Was Sora's transformation caused by our recent separation? If so, will this affect me as well? And how? _

He hoped that Sora's condition was just a simple curse that Merlin could cure. Now that they've diagnosed it… to some extent.


	5. Making Matters Worse

**Chibified**

_Shizuka Usagi_

* * *

Chapter 5

"Very strange… very strange indeed." Merlin mused aloud peering down at the—as Yuffie insisted he be called—_chibi _Sora.

"What do ya think coulda happened to him?" Goofy asked a bit worriedly.

"At least, I'm not the shortest one anymore. Hehe..." Donald chortled. Then Sora took his sailor hat off his head and held it above Donald's reach. He giggled at Donald's efforts to snatch it back.

"I dunno, Dona. I think I'm talluh' than you." Sora responded, placing the hat back on the angry duck's head. Goofy guffawed.

The old wizard had a full house tonight. The news of Sora's 'chibification' had spread like wildfire. As soon as Goofy and Donald were informed of the news, they flew to Hollow Bastion as fast as they could. Leon, Aerith, and Cid were there to check up on the five year old, as well. Yuffie, Roxas, and Riku accompanied chibi Sora there.

Merlin placed his spectacles on the bridge of his nose and scanned through the pages of his spell books. After a few minutes, he found what he was looking for. He took the heavy, dusty text labeled _Ansem's Reports _from the shelfand dropped it on the table for everyone to see.

"Aha! Here we are… the Time Reversal Curse: A rare condition that causes the patient to go 'backwards in time.' Their age decreases rapidly and they seem to have a case of amnesia. This state will continue until their age reaches zero…" Yuffie gasped and the others visibly tensed.

Merlin quickly scanned the rest of the passage in search of reassurance. "Causes are unknown. Treatment is unknown. Although, having people the patient knows well in their presence seems to help slow down the process."

"This is worse than we thought. What're we gonna do?" Yuffie said frustrated, pacing the room. Roxas placed his hand on her shoulder, making her stop.

"We should do what the book said. Just being around Sora should slow down the process of his… shrinking." Roxas consoled.

"Roxas is right. Panicking isn't going to help us." Riku added. "Besides, I know how to handle him. We've known each other since we were kids."

"I wasn't panicking." Yuffie claimed. The others exchanged looks. "I can deal with the situation just fine. C'mon Sora." Goofy put Sora down reluctantly and she grasped his hand on the way out. Although, Sora was confused of his 'mother's' behavior, he turned his head around to flash a cheesy grin before he was out the door.

"What's with her?" Riku asked perplexed.

Leon sighed and placed a gloved hand on his forehead. "She's just in one of her moods again." Riku and Roxas just stared in confusion.

Aerith slapped Leon playfully. "What he means is that Yuffie doesn't like being treated like a little kid. She tries to be independent and doesn't like others to think any less of her."

"She cares about everyone very much—sometimes to the point where she can be… annoying." Leon added, causing Aerith to look at him disapprovingly. "Ever since that… incident many years ago, she makes sure everyone is happy and of good health.

"Not once does the brat think of herself—unless she's bored. Then she goes around town causing mischief and gettin' everybody's attention." Cid said, swiveling around in his computer chair. Leon and Cid were not helping Yuffie's image too much.

"In any case," Aerith interrupted, "please watch over Sora and Yuffie."

"Will do." Roxas said and Riku nodded.

"Cid and Merlin will get as much information about Sora's curse. We'll let you know if they're any updates." Leon said.

"Okay, see ya." Riku and Roxas bid them adieu before leaving.

—

When the two entered the house, Roxas went immediately to the kitchen to fetch something to eat. He was starved and he had missed out on breakfast because of Sora's predicament. Riku rolled his eyes. _Sora and Roxas both have the same weakness: hunger._

He decided to apologize to Yuffie. He didn't think what he said was offending—it wasn't even directed to her. But after what Aerith and the others said, he didn't want to be on her bad side. He didn't know how scary a ninja could be.

Leon mentioned the incident that happened in Hollow Bastion many years ago. He remembered King Mickey telling him that Hollow Bastion was the first planet invaded by the Heartless. This was plausible since that is the place where experiments were conducted by Ansem the Wise. The King also said, unfortunately, Hollow Bastion suffered the most casualties.

Riku could tell. He could sense the darkness and pain in their hearts—especially in Cloud and Leon. Though they masked it with indifference, it was still apparent. However, Aerith and Yuffie were different cases. Aerith always wore that half-hearted smile and she wore bright colors that contrasted with the atmosphere of Hollow Bastion.

And Yuffie… she was the most unusual case of all.

Riku could barely find the darkness in her heart. Her happiness seemed to radiate hope in her heart as well as others. She may have been annoying and immature at times. But she was the only one who could—not only mask her sadness—but attempt to overcome it.

When Riku climbed up the flight of stairs, he heard a light snoring coming from across the hall. He peered through the crack in the door to see Sora curled up and asleep in Yuffie's lap. She was slumbering along with him, slouched in her chair. He smiled from underneath his bangs at the unusual, but sweet sight. He sneaked in and threw the covers from the bed over the duo before quietly closing the door behind him.

Riku would apologize later.

It was nighttime now. The stars were visible in the sky despite the city lights below. Hollow Bastion was a busy town even at night. The HBRC, excluding Yuffie for the time being, spent long hours working to repair and rebuild the world. The threesome that occupied the once vacant house was asleep. Yuffie and Sora hadn't woken up from their nap on the chair. The ninja would probably wake with creaks in her back.

Riku lay on his back, staring at the ceiling. He was sharing the room with Roxas who slept on the bed next to the window. Moonlight poured through Roxas' side of the room, illuminating his sleeping form. Shadows hung in the corners of the wall where Riku's side was.

"How ironic…" He said softly to himself. Then he turned his head towards Roxas. Sora's other part. He wondered if he remembered when they fought back in TWTNW. He wondered if he remembered anything about his past. Most likely not. The truth was Roxas knew bits and pieces here and there but never had full memory of them.

What Riku was really worried about was Sora's condition. He did seem pretty sure of himself at Merlin's house. In reality, he was trying to convince himself his best friend would be alright. No one knew what was going to happen to the brunette.

Riku shook his head, trying to rid himself of these pessimistic thoughts. He had to think of the bright side of the situation. Which was…

He couldn't wait till this all had passed. Till they could look back on this memory and laugh. He hoped this would be soon.

_Who knows? Maybe this could be fun. And I'll have a chance at blackmail if I ever need it… _An amused smirk spread across his pale features.


	6. One Too Many Accidents

**Chibified**

_Shizuka Usagi_

* * *

Chapter 6

Yuffie squinted from the light coming in from the windows. She tried to shift her position away from the sun's rays only to find a cumbersome weight on her thighs. She groaned while looking at the contented Sora curled up in her lap.

Her back ached heavily from sleeping in a chair. This was by far one of the dumbest things she ever attempted. As much as she felt like pushing the boy off of her, she knew he was her responsibility.

Yuffie couldn't bring herself to wake Sora. He had such a calm, cherubic look on his face.

She grunted and lifted the boy with some difficulty, then stumbled towards her bed. She placed the boy gently on the bed and tucked the sheets around him. Once done, she yawned and stretched the kinks out of her back. She decided to take a nice, long bath to relieve her cramped muscles.

She opened the faucet and hot water gushed out of the spout. Then she turned on the waterproof shower radio (yes, there are such things) and turned on the volume as high as possible. She sang along to the dance music that blared from the boom box.

—

"What is that noise? Are their elephants stomping around up there?" Roxas watched as his mug vibrated to the beat of the music on the table. The cappuccino sloshed around in its container, threatening to spill. Riku and Roxas were eating breakfast (or something like it) downstairs.

"Why don't you check it out?" Riku suggested. Somehow he was unfazed by the unreasonably loud music upstairs.

"Me? B—but Yuffie's taking a shower. I can't just waltz right in." Roxas said as if it was the stupidest idea in the world.

Riku gave him a look. "I didn't say you have to go inside. Just knock."

"I doubt she'll even hear. I wouldn't be surprised if she goes deaf…" Roxas muttered under his breath.

Riku chuckled in agreement. "She's your girlfriend. Besides, it's not like it would be totally bad if you happened to accidentally catch a glimpse—"

"Hey, hey, hey! What are you talking about? She's just a friend. How could you even say something like that?" Roxas asked appalled.

Riku laughed again. "Chill out, Roxas. I was kidding. I just assumed since you've lived with her—"

"Well, don't!" Roxas said in a no joke tone. His face was flushed at the audacity of Riku's statement. Catching a glimpse of Yuffie…

_No Roxas! Don't think perverted thoughts!_

There was an uncomfortable silence between them. With the exception of the music that was literally rocking the house.

"I—I think I should check up on her." Roxas announced, getting up abruptly from his seat. He quickly jogged up the stairs without giving Riku a chance to wittily reply.

Riku watched Roxas as he left with a smirk on his lips. _Heh, I wonder why _he's _so defensive. Reminds me of the times I teased Sora about Kairi. So in denial… Speaking of Sora what's he up to?_

—

"Yo, Yuff, turn it down!" Roxas knocked on the door twice, three times. No reply. He sighed. If she wasn't going to answer, he might as well check up on Sora.

The brunette walked down the hall, rubbing his eyes. "Daddy," _Guess there's no need to now. _"Where's Mommy?" Sora tugged on Roxas' baggy pants.

"Mommy's taking a shower. Let's eat breakfast, kiddo." Sora squealed in delight as Roxas gave him a piggy back ride downstairs. Roxas couldn't help but laugh with him.

Riku raised a brow at the odd, but cute sight of 'Daddy' Roxas and 'Chibi' Sora coming into the kitchen. Sora gasped when he saw Riku. He slid down Roxas' back and leaped onto Riku. "Uncle Riku!" He greeted happily. Riku grinned and ruffled Sora's spiky, brown hair.

"Hey, Roxas Jr." Riku welcomed back. Roxas rolled his eyes.

"I'm hungry." Sora whined. His complaint was followed by his growling stomach.

Riku laughed. "Let's get you something to—" A ring from the doorbell interrupted him.

"I'll get it." Roxas went to answer the door. When he opened it, Leon stood there with an annoyed look on his face.

"Is something wrong?" Roxas asked cautiously. Riku and Sora watched curiously. Leon looked seriously ticked off.

"For the love of the Radiant Garden, can you ask Yuffie to turn down the music? The neighbors are starting to complain!"

"We're working on it. By the way, how did you know it was Yuffie?" Roxas asked.

"Who else in their right mind would play music that loud?" Leon asked obviously.

"Point taken. I'll try to get through to her. Sorry 'bout that." Roxas scratched his head sheepishly.

Leon sighed irritably. "Well, get to it. Or else I have to kick you all out. Rules are rules." With that, he turned around and left briskly.

"What's his pwoblem?" Sora asked, looking up to Riku.

"You heard the man." Riku said before leading Sora into the kitchen.

Roxas groaned. _I don't have a choice. She's being a nuisance. _

"Yuffie, open—" Roxas halted as Yuffie opened the door, wearing nothing but a towel.

"Whaddaya want, Roxas?" Yuffie questioned.

He blushed and turned his head away. "First off, don't play the music so loud. Leon says you're causing public disturbance.

Second off, y—you shouldn't be standing there h—half naked."

"Well, whaddayya expect? I just came from the shower. So, c—could you move aside?"

Roxas complied hastily. What he didn't notice was that Yuffie was blushing as well. And his hormones couldn't get the image of her… out of his mind.

He cursed mentally and went downstairs. Riku had a knowing smirk on his face while Sora just stared at him blankly.

—

Sora and Yuffie were finishing up breakfast in the kitchen. Riku was reading the Radiant Garden Post and Roxas was washing the dishes. They ate in companionable silence with the exception of the childish comments made by Sora to which Yuffie or Riku would enthusiastically remark.

Roxas remained unusually quiet for reasons only known to himself and Yuffie. Riku didn't point this out for he had a good idea what may have happened.

"I'm booowed. Let's go somewhewe." Sora griped. He stuck out his lower lip and his puppy-like eyes shimmered.

Yuffie gave in. _He's just too cute. _"Alright, Sora-kins, if it makes you happy. First, we gotta clean up." Sora beamed and squeezed Yuffie tightly.

The kunoichi got up from her seat to take her plate and Sora's. She felt her cheeks redden as she neared Roxas. "H—here you go."

He merely nodded as he reached over to take the plates from Yuffie. Accidentally, their hands brushed lightly in the process. At the touch, Roxas flinched and reflexively pulled back, dropping the plates. Sora yelped and Riku winced from the crash. Roxas took a deep intake of breath, awaiting Yuffie's recrimination.

But it never came. Instead, he noticed she was looking dazed at a long cut on her lower leg caused from the shattering glass.

Instinctively, Roxas replied, "Gosh, Yuffie, I'm so sorry! Let me—"

Riku cut him off. "I'll take care of Yuffie. You clean up the mess." He took Yuffie by the hand and led her to the bathroom.

Roxas regretfully took out a dustpan from the closet and began clearing the china and glass. _Way to go, Roxas. _

—

Yuffie gingerly took her leg and placed it over the sink. Riku turned on the faucet and calmed her as she hissed from the contact of hot water on her throbbing wound. "We need to wash it out and apply antibiotics. We don't want it to become infected."

"I know." Yuffie grumbled as she sat on the lavatory. Riku kneeled in front of her and began smearing an antibiotic cream on the gash. Afterwards, he delicately wrapped gauze with a paopu fruit design—courtesy of Sora—around her leg.

Yuffie couldn't help but think how strong, yet gentle his hands could be. The calluses he obtained from previous battles were beginning to heal, revealing his soft, pale skin. _Bad, Yuffie, bad. Don't give in to those your rotten teenage hormones. _

"Thanks." Yuffie stretched her leg muscles to make sure the bandages weren't too tight.

"No problem." Riku smiled.

This was the first time Yuffie saw Riku smile without smirking. He looked nicer this way in her opinion. His expression appeared more… genuine.

—

When they returned to the kitchen, Roxas and Sora were gone. The glass shards from earlier were also cleaned up. What was left was a handwritten note on the table:

_Yuffie, _

_Sora and I went to the park. Apparently, he couldn't wait anymore. Ha ha…_

_P.S. I'm sorry Yuffie for what happened. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me. Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating a little. Still—if there's anything I can do to repent, let me know. _

_Sincerely, Roxas_

Yuffie sighed. It was an accident. He was forgiven. However, she was more worried about him than her injury. His behavior had been unusual since their accident in the morning. Nevertheless, it wasn't on purpose. Though, she couldn't help but wonder why they had so many coincidental incidents. Further down the note, she noticed a kindergartner's scrawl.

P.S.S. _GeT BeTtUh SoOn MoMmIe_

_LoVe, SoRa_

Yuffie thought Sora was too cute. Even though there was a spelling mistake or two. His concern for others didn't change even if he was a third of his original age.

She made up her mind to walk to the park—not considering her injury—to check up on the two. "I'm going to see them." Yuffie said, putting on her jacket and knee high boots.

"You sure?" Riku asked. Yuffie knew what he meant by that.

Yuffie gave an assuring grin. "Don't worry 'bout it. The park is close by. Wanna join me?"

"Sure." Riku couldn't help but feel like he was intruding for some reason. Was it because of Roxas? Or the fact the threesome seemed so much like a nuclear family. He was just the uncle…


	7. A Conversation and a Kiss

**Chibified**

_Shizuka Usagi_

* * *

Chapter 7

Roxas pushed Sora back and forth on the swing, absentmindedly, while Sora expressed his delight. Roxas' thoughts keep shifting to the crash earlier that afternoon. His regret for his careless actions hadn't subsided.

_I can't believe I was so stupid. Yuffie recently got injured by a nobody and now _I _hurt her._ He guessed it was evening by now, judging by the position of the sun. Yet, Sora still hadn't grown bored of the empty playground.

_There's no need to worry, _Roxas thought bitterly._ She has her knight in armor and… he makes a better dad than I do. _At the thought of the silver haired boy, he grew increasingly frustrated. He pushed Sora harder and harder without realizing it. He was caught up in his pensive mood.

He wasn't quite sure why he was so upset at the thought of them together. He had only known Yuffie for a week or so, but he was already protective of her. "Swing me, swing me!" Sora sang, oblivious to Roxas' inner conflict.

Suddenly, Roxas gave one final thrust. The momentum caused Sora to go flying off the swing. When the swing crashed back into Roxas, the abrupt loss of weight brought him back to reality.

"Weeeee! Look, Daddy, I'm a birdie." Sora yelled, flapping his arms as if they were wings. He was unaware of the consequences of hitting the ground.

"Sora!" Roxas called out alarmed. He was too far away to catch him. The fact that Sora was flapping his arms didn't help either.

Swiftly, something whizzed past his head, heading for Sora. Panicked and confused, Roxas found out what it was: a shuriken. _That can only mean one thing—or rather one person. But why in the world would she do such a thing?_

As a last resort, Roxas dove towards Sora, knowing he wouldn't make it in time. All he managed to do was graze Sora's shirt with his fingertips.

After his feeble attempt, gravity yanked him down harshly. Roxas gritted his teeth as he felt mulch and rocks scrape his skin.

"Sora, Roxas!" A feminine voice rang out before he came in contact with the ground. Accompanying her was none other than the knight in shining armor that had been plaguing his thoughts.

The shuriken, which had been thrown with calculated precision and speed, nailed Sora's hood to the wooden set of the playground. He squealed in delight from all the action that had taken place. "That was fun! Let's do it again."

"I don't think so, kiddo." Riku said sternly. "You nearly got hurt today."

"Wow, Riku, you're acting like a real uncle." Yuffie commented, placing her shuriken back in her case.

"For your information, there aren't many moms willing to do a stunt that risky."

"Very funny, Riku. I'm not any regular ole mom—I'm a professional stuntwoman." Yuffie struck a pose, causing Riku to roll his eyes.

"By the way, Roxas, try not to take out your anger management on Sora." Riku wisecracked, lending a hand to Roxas. He growled and brushed him off indignantly.

"What's anga manage—management?" Sora asked in confusion.

Yuffie punched Riku playfully. "It's nothing you need to fret about. Your uncle is just being silly." Then she turned to the silently fuming Roxas whose back was facing her. "Nice attempted save, Roxas." When he didn't respond she asked softly, "You okay?"

"I'm fine!" Roxas shouted more harshly than he intended before stalking off. Sora stared at his retreating form with puzzlement in his eyes. Yuffie watched him with a look of concern. _What it something I said? _

"I wonder what's up with him." Riku raised a brow. _He's being acting strange since this morning. _

"Riku, stay with Sora. I'll check up on Roxas." With that Yuffie took off in the direction Roxas was last seen.

"Like I have a choice." Riku sighed, as he observed Sora swinging back and forth on his stomach screaming, "I'm an airplane!" with the appropriate sound effects.

—

Roxas sat on the roof of the highest building in Hollow Bastion, simply gazing at the sunset. It reminded him of the times he watched the sunset with Hayner, Pence, and Olette, eating Sea Salt ice cream. Except, this time he was alone.

He was beginning to feel somewhat homesick. All he managed to cause here was trouble. Back on Twilight Town, everything would go according to plan. On Hollow Bastion, he worsened things for everyone. He probably damaged his budding friendship with Yuffie and lost Riku's respect for him.

_Apparently, I won't be welcome for long…_

And Sora… he made such a bad impression on him. He was the worst 'dad' in the world. His temper exploded on Riku—who was his _brother _in Sora's mind. Additionally, who could forget the accidents from that morning? What kind of person makes that many mistakes?

Oh yeah. Him.

"I had a feeling you'd be up here." A voice Roxas immediately recognized as Yuffie's said.

"Yuffie?" Roxas spoke her name in surprise.

"The one and only." Yuffie confirmed with her bright smile. She invited herself to take a seat next to Roxas, her smile never leaving her face. "So… it must be interesting to live on a world with twilight as the permanent time of day."

"Not really. You get kind of used to it after a while. But, for some reason, I never get tired of watching the sunset—even though it's there all the time."

"Isn't it more visible during the evening hours?"

"Yeah, it is. Sora told you that didn't he?"

"Uh-huh. He told me about all his travels throughout the galaxy. It must be so exciting to be able to visit all those worlds. Each one has something unique about them… I know you were a part of Sora during that time, but were you able to experience it?"

"Yeah, to some extent. But I wasn't able to interact with the inhabitants or Sora for that matter… Though, there was a time he was able to feel my emotions."

"Feel your emotions…?"

"He was able to feel my sadness when he left Twilight Town. That was when I came to the realization that my friends didn't remember me."

Yuffie didn't know what else to say. Roxas had gone through so much this past year. He had been told by strangers that he was a Nobody, merely a shell of Sora's existence. He had been told that he once worked for the infamous Organization XIII. He had been basically told that his life in the simulated Twilight Town was fake. And that his memories there were fabricated by Namine.

Attentively, Yuffie's head snapped back towards Roxas as he continued to speak. "Do…" Roxas began uncertainly, "Do… you hate me?"

"Of course not! What would make you think that?" Yuffie asked incredulously.

"Well… I've caused so much trouble while I was here. The incident from this morning, hurting you, and almost hurting Sora." He finished quietly.

"Roxas, we all make mistakes. Some more than others. Take me for example. I annoy the heck out of everyone even when I'm not trying to. Mothers are supposed to be mature and maternal, like Aerith. She is the ideal girl for any guy."

"I would prefer you." Roxas replied automatically, causing Yuffie to stare at him in astonishment. "I mean—Aerith is a nice and everything—but I like a girl with a sense of humor and adventure. A girl who can be herself without worrying about other peoples opinions."

"Is that so? Since we've on the subject, I like a guy who can be silly and serious. A levelheaded guy who can bring me down to earth if I get my head in the clouds."

While Roxas was pondering her statement, Yuffie pecked Roxas playfully on the cheek. Then she jumped off the roof and landed on the ground with poise.

Roxas blushed and asked, flustered, "Have you met any guy like that so far?"

"Perhaps." Yuffie stuck her tongue out teasingly before sprinting away.

_Her dream date sounds suspiciously like me, _Roxas thought. _Though, I guess it can apply to Riku, as well. _Roxas grinned when he recalled Yuffie's kiss from earlier. _Then again, who was it that she kissed?_


	8. Shopping For Sora

**Chibified**

_Shizuka Usagi_

* * *

Chapter 8

Riku, Roxas, Yuffie, and Sora were at the mall, searching for clothes for the young keyblade wielder. His usual attire was many sizes too large for him. The sleeves hung past his hands, and the baggy pants dragged along the floor. Aerith sewed a temporary outfit for him, consisting of a simple black T-shirt and blue denim jeans. But it was beginning to get soiled and ripped at the knees from his childish antics.

"What about this?" Yuffie asked, holding up a green shirt with yellow stripes.

"No." Sora refused bluntly. Yuffie frowned and hung the shirt back on the rack.

"How about this one?" Riku inquired, holding up a blue and red Spiderman™ shirt.

"Hmm… uh-uh." Sora declined after some thought. Riku shrugged and handed it to Yuffie.

"Would you like this?" Roxas questioned, holding up a black T-shirt with a zipper and a hoodie. It bore a resemblance to his old top.

"Okay." Sora accepted cheerfully. Roxas grinned in triumph. He selected a few other shirts of the same style and moved on to the next section.

"Well, they are—were—a part of each other. They're bound to know something about each other's tastes." Yuffie offered. Riku nodded but said nothing. _She knows more about Roxas and Sora than I expected. I wonder why Sora would tell her so much. Is she the only one with this much knowledge about them? Or are Cloud, Leon, Aerith, and Cid included?_

"C'mon, Riku. We have to pick out pants for Sora." Yuffie said, tugging on his arm.

"Or rather have him reject our choices and stick to Roxas' decisions." Riku voiced aloud, pointing out the obvious. He smirked when Yuffie punched his arm playfully.

"At least, pretend this is remotely enjoyably. For Sora's sake?" Yuffie requested.

He sighed in defeat. "As long as I get to choose where we go next." _But I'm mostly enduring this for her sake. She reminds me so much of Sora. They're both so similar: cheerful, optimistic, and young at heart. However, she hides her emotions better than Sora. This is not surprising, since she _is_ a ninja. _

"Okay." Yuffie agreed enthusiastically. Then she hooked her arm with his and dragged him to the little boys' section.

"Hey, where were you guys?" Roxas asked good-naturedly, but instantly it became jealously and suspicion when he saw Yuffie's arm hooked with Riku's.

"Oh, Riku was just being a jerk, and he didn't want to pick out clothes for Sora anymore." Yuffie responded sarcastically. Riku 'hmphed' and crossed his arms.

"Oh? And why is that?" Roxas asked.

"He's just jealous because you have better taste than him." Yuffie replied for Riku who just rolled his eyes.

"Whatever." Roxas said; his jealously and suspicion fading. Yuffie was just being silly and naive again. _But that's what I like about her. She's not serious and uptight… like me. _

Roxas took Sora's hand and led him to the checkout. Riku and Yuffie followed. Roxas began to ponder something as the cashier ran the clothes through the laser. _I wonder how long these clothes will fit Sora. With the Time Reversal Curse and everything… How long will he even stay this age? How long will it be before—no! _Roxas shook the negative thoughts out of his mind. _After we're done shopping, we'll check with Merlin to see if he has found a cure yet. I have to stay positive… like Yuffie. _

He spared a glance at his budding crush… or was it something more?

—

Riku decided on going for ice cream next. They all were getting tired from the shopping spree. And Sora was more than happy to oblige. The father and son took their place in the long, winding line for Sea Salt popsicles. Riku and Yuffie sat in a booth, waiting for them. Yuffie rested her feet on the edge of the table and leaned back in her seat, yawning.

"You seem pretty bushed." Riku commented.

Yuffie shook her head. "Nah, not really. Just bored. Shopping isn't really my thing."

"Not mine either." He replied. Ignoring the admiring looks from the girls behind them.

"Oh my god, Becky, isn't he like the hottest guy you've ever seen?" A blonde with an overabundance of makeup inquired. Her mascara nearly stuck together like glue.

"No, he _is _the hottest guy I've ever seen." The excess amount of jewelry her friend wore clanged loudly as she clasped her hands.

"How many long-haired guys do you know that look that good?"

"Like none."

Their ear piercing giggles practically burst Yuffie's eardrums. _Annoying preppy wanabes…_

"His eyes are the best feature. It feels like he's staring into your soul."

"Did you check out his muscles and abs?"

"But… did you see the tomboy? She is like so ugly."

"I know right. She looks like some wannabe ninja."

"I can't believe that hunk would want to hang out with her."

_You should talk about wannabes, witches. _Yuffie fumed silently.

Riku heard their conversation and decided to humor them a bit. He placed his arm around Yuffie's shoulders and pulled her close to him. The girls gasped in surprise.

"On second thought, if she can get a guy like that… Maybe we should dress like that too."

"Her look is kind of cool. Spunky with a touch of Goth, you know?"

Riku snickered. _I can't believe they actually fell for it. _After the girls steered their conversation away from them, Yuffie removed his arm from her shoulder. _For some reason it doesn't feel right… _

Riku noticed her uneasiness. "Sorry about that. I had to find some way to give those girls a taste of their own medicine."

"Yeah, I suppose you're right." _It's not like he meant anything by that, right? _Yuffie looked at his face, which was unreadable as always. _Yet, he seemed pretty comfortable holding me. _

Just then, Roxas and Sora finally returned with three Sea Salt ice cream sticks, breaking the awkward silence. Riku and Yuffie each took one and the subject was dropped.

_I can't explain why, but I feel a little guilty. As if I was cheating on Roxas. _An image of the blonde with intense azure eyes appeared in Yuffie's mind.


	9. Cure for Sora's Condition

**Chibified**

_Shizuka Usagi_

* * *

Chapter 9 

"You have to take a bath, Sora."

"No."

"C'mon, Sora."

"No."

"Sora!"

"No!"

The caretakers sighed in exasperation. Nobody knew how to make the stubborn, little keyblade bearer take a bath. Nothing worked on him. Not even a rubber ducky or action figures brought down his resolve. Roxas didn't manage to coax him either. He was going to have to take a bath sooner or later. All the times he spent sullying his clothes dirtied him, as well.

Sora's new garments were already covered with dirt and grime. His arms were caked in mud from making 'chocolate pies', so he said. His spiky hair was disheveled. To top it off, his cheek had a smudge. His lips were fixed into a pout. His sky blue eyes held childish determination.

"We can't take you to Merlin's looking like that. He'll have a fit. Not to mention Aerith if she's around. She's even worse. She'll give us a lecture about shirking our duty or some sh—I mean stuff."

Roxas gave her a meaningful look before speaking. "Your mom has a point, Sora. If you don't take your medicine, you'll get more sick and—"

"—medicine! Gross!" Sora shouted, scrunching his face in disgust.

"Nice going, Rox." Yuffie whispered. Roxas slapped his forehead at his stupidity and the idiocy of the situation.

"Was he always like this, Rik?" Yuffie asked.

"For the most part, yeah. But… he seems more dogged."

"I'm not a dog!" Sora insisted, crossing his arms. The caretakers emitted another sigh.

"He means stubborn, Sora." Roxas informed tiredly.

"This is getting old, and we don't have much time. We need to give him a bath, go to Merlin's, and go to the cleaners before sundown. Which is… in about two hours." Yuffie notified.

"She's right. But what are we going to do?" Riku asked.

The caretakers had a moment to brainstorm before the obvious solution hit Yuffie.

"How about this, Sora? If we get you Sea Salt ice cream, will you take a bath?" Yuffie offered.

"But Yuffie—" Roxas protested. Yuffie placed a finger on his lips to silence him.

"Listen, Roxas. I know we already went. But a second time couldn't hurt—especially if it gets him to take a bath."

Riku looked on curiously as Yuffie managed to quiet Roxas. _She has a lot of influence over him. If I remember, he used to be a lot more unyielding, much like Sora is now. _

Sora considered this for a moment. He imagined the sweet, salty goodness of the ice cream. The way the sticky substance dripped down your fingers. The way it melted on your tongue on a hot day. Just thinking about the blue popsicle made his mouth water. _Unclean or ice cream. Unclean or ice cream._ The phrase repeated itself over and over in his immature mind until he finally came to a conclusion.

"Deal." Sora confirmed, shaking Yuffie's hand with his own filthy one. Yuffie resisted the urge to puke.

"Okay." Yuffie agreed, promptly wiping her hands on her shorts. Not the best thing to do. But Sora was quite… soiled—even for her.

"Why don't you guys help him out? While I go and change." With that, Yuffie left the bathroom and rinsed her hands in the kitchen.

—

"Hey, Merlin!" Yuffie greeted. Sora was piggybacking on Roxas who stood next to Yuffie. Riku leaned on the door sill.

"Yuffie, Roxas, Riku, it's good to see you all." Merlin addressed, looking away from his experiment. There were many potions and elixirs among other things bubbling in beakers.

"Have you concocted a cure for Sora by any chance?" Yuffie asked, pointing at the worktable.

"Actually, we're in luck. You told me Sora became ill after several encounters with the Heartless, am I correct?" Merlin questioned.

"Yeah." Roxas said, wondering where this was going.

"Do you know what kind of Heartless in particular?" Merlin inquired.

"No." Roxas shook his head.

"But why would Sora become sick from a Heartless? He's the keyblade master! Wouldn't he be immune to the effects of them?" Yuffie asked.

"Not unless his heart was weak at any time. Then he would be vulnerable." Merlin answered.

"When was there ever a time he was like that?" Yuffie inquired.

"There was a time when his heart was weak. It was when you all were fighting to save Hollow Bastion. He had to fight thousands of Heartless. And then Saix messed with his mind… I don't remember exactly…" Roxas scratched his head in thought. He racked his brain for memories, yet he came up with null. Since he was separated from Sora, he didn't share the brunette's thoughts and feelings anymore.

"That is a possibility." Merlin said, then he held up a green vial. "In any case, this is what may cure Sora's condition. It is a combination of antidote, elixir, and cure. The antidote is for any poison; the elixir is for memory loss. As you know, cure is a form of white magic. It will expel any darkness in Sora's system."

"Thanks, Merlin." Yuffie expressed her gratitude by shaking the wizard's hand heartily. After he recovered from shock, he adjusted his spectacles and smiled.

"But there's more. The treatment will take a week or so to come into effect. So, if it's not too much trouble—" Merlin began but was interrupted.

"We'll take care of Sora for how long it takes." Riku said. Yuffie nodded vigorously.

"I second that notion." Roxas added.

"I see Sora is in very good hands." Merlin observed.

"You bet." Yuffie said.

"You best give it to him right away." Merlin advised.

"Will do." Yuffie confirmed.


	10. Water Water Everywhere

**Chibified**

_Shizuka Usagi_

* * *

Chapter 10

"That was pretty clever, Yuffie, administering the medicine as a syrup." Riku complimented.

"It was nothing. If there's something that kid likes more than getting dirty, it's Sea Salt ice cream." The caretakers watched as Sora licked the green liquid off the blue popsicle.

"I'm surprised he didn't notice anything about the taste." Roxas commented.

Yuffie shrugged. "Merlin probably thought of that ahead of time. Haven't you ever heard of cherry flavored Tylenol™?"

"What could possibly be the flavor of that green stuff?" Roxas inquired.

"Watermelon?" Yuffie suggested. "Why don't you ask him yourself?"

"I think I'll pass." Roxas replied.

After leaving Merlin's, Yuffie brought Sora the Sea Salt ice cream she had promised. Since Sora—like many children—hated medicine, she tricked him into thinking it was flavored syrup. Like the chocolate or strawberry kind you put on ice cream sundaes. She poured the substance from the vial onto the bar, then handed it to the brunette.

"Mmm, this syrup is yummy! Can I have more, Mommy?" Sora asked.

"Sorry, Sora, it… uh… ran out." Yuffie explained. The caretakers were surprised he actually liked that stuff. They wondered what would happen if they told him it was medicine. Better not risk it…

"Oh… okay." Sora continued to lick without a care in the world.

Yuffie twirled the umbrella of their table uninterestedly. "I hope the cure works. I mean, I love the kid and all, but babysitting him is tiresome."

"You can say that again." Roxas agreed. "I didn't even start the summer homework Olette gave me."

Riku switched his gaze from Roxas to Yuffie. Then a scheming grin formed on his face. "Why don't you take a vacation, Yuff?"

"Whaddaya mean? I have to—" Yuffie began, but was interrupted.

"—I can take care of Sora myself. I used to look after him when he was younger."

"But why—" Roxas started, but Riku interjected.

"—better yet, why don't you both take one? You guys have been watching over Sora longer than I have. Therefore, I wouldn't need a break." Riku explained.

"Are you sure, Rik?" Yuffie questioned. Her ninja instinct sensed something fishy going on. _What was Riku really planning?_ On the other hand, she was dying for a respite. Spending it with Roxas would make it all the more fun. She had to admit, she had developed a crush on our favorite former Nobody.

"Positive." Riku responded. Yuffie swore that she saw a mischievous glint in his eye.

"I don't know. How're we going to afford a vacation?" Roxas interrogated skeptically.

"It doesn't have to be anything fancy. Hollow Bastion has many tourist attractions, y'know. There's the carnival and the beach a little ways from here." Yuffie informed.

"Beach?" Riku and Roxas echoed.

"Uh-huh. It's going to open in a few days. But only the HBRC is allowed to go there at first. To make sure they're no Heartless or anything."

"But we're not members." Roxas pointed out, referring to himself and Riku.

"Oh, that reminds me. Leon wanted me to give you guys these." Yuffie flipped out two membership cards from her back pocket.

"Thanks." The boys said simultaneously, taking the personalized cards.

"No prob. Anyway, we should get going now." Yuffie said.

"Right, to the launders." Roxas sighed, picking up Sora's dirty clothing.

—

"How much detewgent did Mommy say to put in the washa?" Sora thought aloud, holding a container and gallon of detergent in his hand. "My clothes look pwetty dirty."

In his young state of mind, Sora believed that more was better. He poured an overabundant amount of detergent into the container. He overlooked the fact that the container was overflowing with the substance. He dumped the contents of the container into the washer, then closed the lid. Afterwards, he pressed the start button and waited for the machine to operate.

Sora's blue eyes widened in amazement as the washer began to shake and make loud, whirring noises. Bubbles and foam began to leak from the sides onto the floor. He backed away slowly, then screamed when the lid burst open with water flowing everywhere.

"Sora!" Roxas shouted from the front of the Laundromat. The blonde ran to the back of the store with Riku and Yuffie on his heels.

When they found Sora, he was curled into a fetal position, sopping wet and close to tears.

—

Once Sora was toweled and dry, wearing a non-waterlogged set of clothes, the caretakers set to finding out what had went wrong.

"How much detergent did you put, Sora?" Yuffie asked the brunette gently.

"I—I don't know. I—I didn't remember how much you told me to put. S—So I poured the whole container." Sora sobbed.

"The whole container!" Roxas exclaimed, causing Sora to cower back a little.

"Calm down, Rox." Yuffie chided, then she turned to the sniffling keyblade wielder. "Why didn't you use the measuring cup?"

"I—I forgot." Sora sniveled.

"It's okay, Sor. Just remember to ask next time, okay?"

Sora nodded and hugged his mom's leg.

"What about the cost, Yuff?" Roxas inquired.

"Don't worry about that. I've got that taken care of." Yuffie answered grinning.

At the counter, Riku frowned at the cost of repairing the washer. The fact that the owners of the Laundromat were squabbling at him didn't help. _How in the world did Yuffie convince me to pay?_


	11. Goodbye Roxas and Yuffie

**Chibified**

_Shizuka Usagi_

* * *

Chapter 11

Roxas grunted and attempted to lift the cumbersome suitcases needed for his trip with Yuffie. _More like unnecessary luggage, _Roxas thought as he dropped the suitcases, once again. _Yuffie just had to give me the puppy pout. _Although, Yuffie was not a girly girl, she packed a lot of things for a tomboy. _How the heck are we going to carry all this stuff to the hotel? We are going on foot, aren't we? _

"What's with the hold up, Rox?" Yuffie asked, coming out of the vacant house with Sora in tow. The brunette giggled at his father's effort to carry his mother's suitcases along with his own.

"Yuffie, did you really need to bring all this stuff?" Roxas asked, sighing for the millionth time.

"We already went over this. Yes. I. Do." Yuffie responded, enunciating each syllable.

Roxas groaned and tried to unlock one of the suitcases. "What do you have in here, anyway?"

Yuffie quickly ran up beside Roxas and took the suitcase away from him. "Uh-uh. No peeking. Besides, there's nothing there of value to you."

"And that would be?" Roxas persisted.

"If you must know just a few shurikens, kunais, daggers…" Yuffie trailed off teasingly.

"Weaponry!" Roxas exclaimed. "Why in the world do you need those?"

"Hehe, just kidding. Well, not so much about the shurikens." Yuffie answered.

"Yuffie, we're only going to be gone for a day or two. And it's not like we're going to the Coliseum."

"Don't worry, Roxy-poo. We just need to be prepared." Yuffie informed, patting Roxas on the head.

"In case what? A bazillion Heartless decide to attack us?" Roxas inquired sarcastically.

"Exactly." Yuffie replied, closing the suitcase tight. "You can never be too sure. Or a blizzard might come and leave us trapped inside the hotel."

Roxas didn't think she would take him seriously. _And I thought I was paranoid_. _At least, I don't have to carry my weapon, _he thought, brandishing his keyblade. _It's the solid form of my heart's strength. _

"Need a hand?" Roxas looked up to see Riku pick up one of the suitcases with ease. "You know, being a keyblade wielder and all, this job should be a piece of cake—no offense."

Roxas fumed silently as he compared Riku's muscular form to his scrawny one. Not to mention he just received a blow to his pride. It wasn't his fault he spent all his time trapped inside Sora's body while he traveled around the worlds.

"C'mon Roxas, Riku has already loaded my suitcases into the trunk." He heard Yuffie call out.

"Huh?" _What trunk?_ Roxas walked around the corner and gasped. Yuffie was leaning on an expensive looking car, grinning like the Cheshire cat.

Yuffie giggled at the look of shock on Roxas' face. "Nice ride, isn't it? Leon is letting me borrow it for a bit."

"You can drive?" Roxas questioned, because he sure couldn't… at least for another month.

"Duh, I'm sixteen. Didn't think we would walk the whole way, did ya?" Yuffie shot back, sticking out her tongue. Riku laughed and Sora tried to spin the steering wheel. Roxas simply rolled his eyes and made his way over to the vehicle. He scanned the black convertible, then looked at Yuffie.

"Did Leon really let you ride his car?" Roxas asked skeptically.

"Well… let's not get into the details." Roxas raised an eyebrow suspiciously as Yuffie averted his gaze. "Anyway, shall we get going?"

"Whatever you say." Roxas responded.

"First, we gotta say goodbye to Sora." Yuffie reminded.

Sora's sapphire orbs brimmed with tears at his mother's statement. The brunette didn't want his beloved parents to leave. It wasn't that he didn't enjoy spending time with his uncle, but he liked it better when all three of them were together—like one big, happy family. It was going to be a lot more… quiet with them gone, especially his animated mother. His lips twisted into the stubborn, persuasive pout that his family always fell for.

"M…mommy," he sniveled, "P…pwease don't go. I don't wanna be all alone." And with perfect timing, he broke into heartbreaking sobs. To make things more dramatic, he clung onto his parent's legs relentlessly.

"It's only going to be for a few days, sweetie." Yuffie insisted softly, stooping to squeeze Sora tightly in an attempt to stop his snuffling. _Aerith said this is supposed to soothe children. _

"She's right, Sora." Roxas added.

"Besides, you won't be all alone. You'll be with me." Riku said. Sora's sobs subsided slightly, however, he remained latched onto their legs like a leech.

Roxas scratched his head, searching for a solution until Riku spoke. "How about this, Sor? If I let you play with the Way to Dawn, will you let them go on a vacation?"

Almost instantly, Sora released his parents and ran over to Riku. But he had to keep up the façade a little longer. "O…okay." He sniffed, wiping his eyes.

_How does Riku do that? _Roxas thought. _He always comes up with brilliant ideas before I do. _

_Well, at least you get the girl. _The indulgent part of his teenage mind replied. Roxas choose to ignore it, wondering where that notion came from.

"Atta boy, Sora." Riku praised, scooping him up into his arms. "Now, you two have a good date." He teased; his trademark smirk appeared on his face.

The couple blushed and before Roxas could protest, Yuffie dragged him toward Leon's car. "C'mon, _honey_, let's get going." She got into the driver's seat, and he took the passenger seat beside her. As soon as they were settled, Yuffie waved to Riku and Sora and started towards the closest hotel.


	12. Day One: Hotel

**Chibified**

_Shizuka Usagi_

* * *

Chapter 12

Roxas sighed, gazing out the window. It was late in the evening now. He watched the sun dip into the horizon for a few moments, feeling somewhat homesick. It had been a couple weeks since he had last seen Hayner, Pence, and Olette. The foursome was quite close—they had never been apart for more than a week. He missed Pence's nonchalant attitude and Olette's sensibleness.

Heck, he even missed Hayner's guts… okay, not really. But you get the point.

Yuffie and Hayner were on equal standing when it came to their spirit and stubborn streak. Whenever Hayner came up with a wild idea, he always brought along Roxas, Pence, and Olette for the ride. Yuffie, like Hayner, wanted to drag him everywhere. Yet, he insisted they spend the first day of their three day vacation at the hotel. She pouted and he tactfully countered with his own.

It's needless to say who had won. Roxas' pout was almost as good as Sora's.

Said kunoichi was snoring away on the sole bed in their room. Yep, the typical single bed scenario used by writers to pair up people by forcing them to sleep together. Predictably, it was the only room left in the hotel. At least, it wasn't the lover's suite. Roxas opted to sleep on the floor to avoid any uncomfortable situations.

Yuffie simply shrugged and yawned, too tired to argue with the blonde ex-Nobody. She plopped on the bed after washing up, drifting to slumber almost immediately. He raised an eyebrow suspiciously but said nothing. She could fall asleep fast for a ninja.

Currently, Roxas was working on the homework Olette gave him before he left Twilight Town. He was experiencing a mild case of insomnia. Therefore, he decided to do something productive—even though it wasn't the most enjoyable activity. Luckily, it wasn't too difficult. _Guess all those study sessions with Olette paid off. _

His thoughts wandered toward Yuffie. _How does she sleep so easily? We didn't do any arduous work today. _

Suddenly, Roxas felt someone's arms snake around his neck. He yelped in surprise, and the person in question laughed. The blonde turned his head in the direction of the voice. He was greeted with the sight of Yuffie's smiling, heart shaped face.

She rested her chin on his shoulder. "Why are you awake at this hour?" she asked inquisitively.

"It's seven," he informed. "Besides, why are_ you_ awake? I thought you were sleeping." For some reason, the close contact didn't bother him.

"I was halfway asleep." Yuffie corrected. "But I sensed you were still awake. So, I decided to check up on you."

"Really? From the way you were snoring, I assumed you were sound asleep." Roxas joked with a grin.

Yuffie rearranged her grip into a headlock. "Ah! I was kidding, Yuff. Leggo!" he protested.

"Who has the maddest ninja skills?" she questioned.

"You, of course." Roxas replied. _You're probably the only ninja in this hotel._

"That's more like it." Yuffie said, satisfied. She released him from her grasp. "Now, how about we hit the haystack?"

"You go ahead. I have homework to do," he stated unenthusiastically.

"Homework?" she repeated, wrinkling her nose in disgust. "You're doing homework over summer break?"

"Yeah, it's not like I have a choice," Roxas responded, mentally chuckling at her expression.

"No way, mister. You're not doing homework over _our_ vacation. I'm not letting Riku's efforts go to waste." Yuffie notified, half dragging him to the makeshift bed on the floor. He frowned at the mention of silver haired enigma. He appreciated the fact that he allowed them to take a break from the hyperactive Sora, but that didn't mean he had to like him.

"Taking care of that kid is not easy, you know," she continued, "even if you know him inside and out."

_How true, _he thought. He believed that it wouldn't be so hard, being his other half. Now, he knew how wrong he was.

"C'mere," Yuffie requested, patting the seat beside her. For some reason she was sitting on the pile of pillows and sheets _he _was supposed to sleep on.

"Why are you—?" Roxas started, but was interrupted.

"Stop being stubborn, and sit on the floor." she ordered firmly.

Obediently, Roxas complied—not wanting to have a shuriken aimed for his backside. _She sure is demanding. _He situated himself comfortably on the floor and waited for further instructions. Yuffie sat cross-legged behind him. Then, she placed her hands on his shoulders and began rubbing them. He tensed up slightly, unsure of what she was doing.

"Relax, Roxy-poo. It's called a massage." Yuffie coaxed, her fingers expertly working out the kinks in his back. Gradually, he loosened up and his eyelids began to feel heavy. _This feels really good,_ he thought groggily, starting to feel drowsy.

Yuffie smiled triumphantly. _My magic touch never fails._ Boldly, she decided to go to the next step. She began to run her hands through his spiky, blonde hair, kneading his scalp along the way. She marveled at the soft, silky, and apparently gel-less texture.

Suddenly, Roxas fell backwards and his head thudded against her chest. Yuffie removed her hands from his locks, startled. She was about to reprimand him when she realized he had dozed off. She gave the blonde a look of astonishment, thinking she wasn't _that _good at massages. Or had she bored him to sleep?

"Oh, well, at least I accomplished my goal." she whispered, her eyes softening at the sight of the snoozing boy.

Yuffie attempted to lift Roxas up from her lap, but he was heavier than he looked. Plus, she was too worn-out to be hauling around one hundred twenty pound boys. Eventually, she managed to push herself up against the wall and allowed Roxas to rest his head on her stomach.

Besides, she sort of liked having an excuse to curl up with the cutest boy in Twilight Town.


	13. Day Two, Part 1: Carnival

**Chibified**

_Shizuka Usagi_

* * *

Chapter 13

Roxas squinted his eyes from the abundant sunshine that shined through the blinds. He flipped onto his side, nestling his head into the unusually taut pillow. Facing the bed, he noticed Yuffie was not upon it. In fact, the bed was neat and tidy as if nobody had slept on it. 'That's strange… she never makes her bed,' Roxas thought half-awake.

All of a sudden, the sheets underneath him started to _move_, followed by a groan. He shot up and whirled around to see he was sleeping on Yuffie. 'Why was I _sleeping _on her?' Roxas questioned himself, aghast. Specifically, his head was resting on Yuffie's stomach, but that's not the point.

He forced himself to not freak out and tried to remember what happened last night. 'Right, I was working on homework. Then, Yuffie came and distracted me. Afterwards, she made me sit on the floor and gave me a massage... oh,' was all Roxas could think as he recalled the events from yesterday.

Roxas concluded that he fell asleep on Yuffie's lap, and she was unable to lift him off of her. Oh boy.

Said ninja shifted again. This time, she propped herself up on her elbows. After her mind and vision cleared, she looked right at Roxas.

"Heh, heh. Sorry?" was what he managed to spit out.

Apparently, that was the wrong thing to say. Yuffie's fist shot out, aimed towards Roxas' jaw. He braced himself for impact, accepting his punishment. But it never came. Instead, he felt Yuffie's fist grind into his skull, messing up his blonde spikes. A noogie. "Ack! Sorry, Yuff. I didn't mean to," he apologized lamely.

She smirked evilly. "You seemed quite comfortable crushing my abdomen with your twenty pound head."

"Really, Yuffie, it was an accident. You're an expert at relaxing people," Roxas complimented. The best way to get out of a sticky situation with the shinobi was to sweet talk.

"Is that so?" she said, "Fine. I'll let you get away with making my stomach sore this once." Secretly, the hormone charged part of her brain thought, 'I would let him get away with it a hundred times over.'

Roxas pouted. "I said I was sowwy."

Yuffie rolled her eyes. "You need to work on your Sora impersonation." Yawning, she stretched her arms and made her way into the bathroom. "Oh, and knock before you decided waltzing in," she informed, reminding him of the restroom incident that happened shortly after Sora's transformation.

He failed to conceal his flushed face when he conjured an inappropriate image. An image of her wrapped up in a towel, dripping wet. Luckily, she wasn't there to tease him for blushing.

'On the other hand, if she knew what I was thinking about, she would_ kill_ me,' Roxas thought with a wince. He mentally cursed his teenage mind and changed into his attire for the day. Yuffie wouldn't be out for a while, he concurred, hearing tunes blast from the shower radio.

—

"Where to?" Roxas asked; his arm draped casually out the car window.

"I already told you, Roxy: Hollow Bastion's annual carnival. It's a pretty big event hosted by the HBRC." Yuffie informed, concentrating on the road.

"Does this mean your ticket is reduced price since you're a member?" he wondered out of curiosity.

"For your information, _we're _getting in free," she notified enthusiastically, gripping the steering wheel. "Is that cool or what?"

"You're lucky for being able to pull some strings," Roxas replied. "Back home, my friends and I had to do odd jobs to raise enough money for a trip to the beach."

"But it was all worth it in the end, right?" Yuffie inquired.

"No… a guy in a cloak stole the money pouch," he stated flatly.

"That stinks." Yuffie frowned empathetically. After all that hard work, they weren't able to go. "Was it an Organization member?"

"I dunno. He had the trademark cloak, but I have a feeling he wasn't. Though… he seemed familiar," Roxas trailed off. Abruptly, a picture of Riku appeared in his head. 'That was weird,' he thought, confused.

"No need to worry," Yuffie smiled. "Tomorrow, we're going to the beach and you won't have to pay a single cent."

"Let me guess. It's another HBRC function," Roxas said.

"Well, duh. I'm not wasting my hard earned munny when I can go somewhere without charge," Yuffie declared.

He lay back in his seat, basking in the heat beaming down on them through the hoodless convertible. "Point taken."

—

Roxas noticed that the carnival was packed with people. As an officer guided Yuffie into the parking lot, the blonde could see multicolored streamers and bright balloons drift into the sky. Music blasted from the speakers sitting on the counters of various stores. Excited chatter could be heard from the children, tugging on their parents to take them to the toy stand.

When she parked Leon's car, he stepped onto the rugged grass. Wondering how she was able to drive on an uneven surface while the car jostled. When Roxas questioned Yuffie about this matter, she replied with her favorite response: a blunt, I'm a ninja. As if that was the answer to everything.

After they passed the ticket booth onto the cobblestone road, the two stopped to decide what to do first.

"Let's eat. I'm starved." Yuffie stated, rubbing her rumbling belly.

"Didn't you just have breakfast, Yuff?" Roxas asked, surprised she was still hungry.

"It's almost lunchtime, Roxy," she complained. "A girl's gotta eat."

"But—" he protested, attempting to tell the shinobi that eating before going on the rides was not a good idea.

"Don't worry. I have a stomach of steel." Yuffie said, thumping her chest proudly. Roxas was not convinced, yet he didn't say anything. Without waiting for a response, she dragged him towards the food booth.

When they arrived, Yuffie ordered two cheeseburgers, a large fries, and a medium-sized soda. Then she turned to the blonde haired kid. "What do you want to get, Roxas?" she questioned.

His eyes widened slightly. 'She is going to eat all that by herself?' he thought incredulously. Not wanting to offend the ninja, he kept his mouth shut. "Uh… I'll take a funnel cake and medium-sized lemonade," Roxas replied.

As soon as they settled in the dining area, Yuffie began chomping merrily on her burger. Roxas ate slowly and politely, not wanting to attract attention. In the meantime, he decided to survey his surroundings. The two were sitting on a cheap, brown bench under a wide, red canopy. The weather was hot and humid. Sweet and spicy aromas wafted from the buffet. Sizzling sounds of food being deep-fried could be heard.

"You done, Roxas?" Yuffie inquired, bringing him out of his reverie.

"Huh—oh yeah, you?" he asked, astonished she finished her super sized meal.

"Uh-huh. I'm stuffed," she responded, patting her full stomach.

"Um, Yuffie—no offense or anything—but did you think it's a good idea to consume all that food before going on the rides?" Roxas questioned awkwardly.

The shinobi appeared to be uncomfortable. "Uh, whoever said we were going to go on any rides? I mean, most of them are for five-year-olds."

He pointed at a boat that rocked back and forth precariously before flipping upside down. "Do you think that is for five-year-olds?"

'He has a point…' she thought dryly. "Well, eh, let's do that first," she said, pointing to a stall called balloon dart.

"Okay…" Roxas trailed off in a knowing tone. 'Strange as it sounds, I think Yuffie has a fear of heights.'


	14. Day Two, Part 2: Carnival

**Chibified**

_Shizuka Usagi_

* * *

Chapter 14

"The great ninja Yuffie strikes again!" Yuffie exclaimed triumphantly. "You're really bad at this, aren't you?"

Roxas groaned. This was the tenth time he lost at balloon dart. The score was two to twelve, so he wasn't even considered a worthy adversary. But she had an advantage over him. Ninjas were known for their accuracy with throwing weapons, such as shurikens and knifes. However, keyblade bearers were known for strength.

Yet he played the good sport. "I guess so. You have quite an aim," he replied, impressed.

"Of course, I do. Aim is my specialty. Although your shots were powerful… they weren't very precise," Yuffie commented.

"If only I had your precision and you had my power," Roxas said. "We would be equal."

"I bet I would still beat you." She stuck her tongue out.

"Is that so?" He questioned, crossing his arms and giving a challenging look.

Clapping from across the stall interrupted their playful banter. "You kids aren't half bad." A familiar blonde gummy specialist stepped out from the shadows.

"Cid?" Yuffie said, mildly surprised. "What're you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing, brat. You're supposed ta be volunteering. Not goin' on dates." Cid responded gruffly.

The shinobi blushed slightly. "I'm not going on a date—just a friendly outing. Anyway, what do you mean volunteering? Don't we have enough help?"

"This is a HBRC function, meaning that we're hosting it. We're the ones who're supposed ta be helpin' out," he stated flatly.

"Oh… Well, Leon didn't…" Yuffie trailed off weakly, unable to come up with a good excuse. _Now I feel stupid. I must look like an idiot in front of Roxas. _

"It's okay. I can volunteer with you, if that's okay with Cid," Roxas suggested politely.

"No, Roxas, you don't have—" she protested, when the gummy specialist intervened.

"Forget it, Yuff. Go ahead," Cid said, waving his hand.

"What?"

"Don't worry about it. Me, Leon, an' Aerith will take it from here."

"But—"

"Go have fun while yer still young, brat. Don't waste it." Before she could object, he took a stuffed moogle from the wall and tossed it to her.

Yuffie caught it and smiled gratefully. _The old man's being unusually nice. It's not even my birthday. It must be because of Roxas, or maybe he's becoming soft… Nah._ "Thanks, gramps."

"Call me that again an' I'll put ya to work!"

Yuffie just laughed and ran off with Roxas. Cid watched them, shaking his head. _Crazy kids. Though I hafta admit, the girl's growin' up. Normally, she wouldn't have given a second thought about working. I guess taking care of Sora has taught her responsibility." _

—

It was night when the two reached the Ferris wheel. Although Yuffie's fear of heights was evident on her face, Roxas thought it was about time she got over her phobia. There was a short flight of stairs that led up to the boarding area. Roxas led the way, gently pulling Yuffie along with him. The line ahead of them was long and winding, but he was willing to be patient. He hoped the ninja would be too.

"Roxas," Yuffie began, on the verge of whining, "Do we have to ride this thing?"

"C'mon, Yuff. It's not a festival without the Ferris wheel," Roxas insisted. He didn't mention the real reason he wanted to go on the ride, because she would only deny it. He figured out that she had a fear of heights when she outright refused or made up an excuse for not trying out any of the rides. The only attractions she participated it were the prize booths, haunted houses, and others close to the terra firma. He had a suspicion of something else as well, but he couldn't confirm it.

"Fine." Yuffie deadpanned. She was only doing this for Roxas' sake, even if it was at the expense of her own. She sincerely hoped she didn't hurl all over him. What a perfect way that would be to end a dat—friendly outing. She had a hunch he thought she had a fear of heights. However, it was much worse—motion sickness.

A light tapping on her shoulder disrupted her thoughts. "Finally, it's our turn," Roxas stated. Without waiting for a response, he unlocked the gate of a colorful, rectangular shaped compartment. He held it open for her and stepped aside. "After you," he said, gesturing chivalrously.

"Why thank you," Yuffie replied, her voice laced with sarcasm. Yet, he either didn't notice or chose to ignore it as he stepped in after her.

There was a minute or two of waiting as the other passengers embarked. Soon after, the machine started up and their compartment lurched forward. It rose slowly and they ascended into the atmosphere.

Roxas leaned back and crossed his arms behind his head while Yuffie stayed stiff as a board. He cast a concerned glance in her direction before staring into the stars. "Beautiful sky, don't you think?" he asked conversationally.

"S—sure," she shakily answered, feeling bile burn up her throat. She swallowed a few times, attempting to keep her composure. Subconsciously, she balled her fists and took a few deep breaths. Her efforts to be inconspicuous were probably failing miserably. _Stupid motion sickness! _

Roxas became aware of her discomfort. He even thought he saw her face turn a slight tinge of green. He bit his lip, beginning to feel guilty for forcing her to come with him. He placed a warm hand on her naturally cold ones sympathetically. "Sorry, Yuffie," he apologized. "I didn't mean for you to be miserable."

Yuffie suddenly looked up from her gaze on the floor. The still ground helped her keep her head and stomach straight. "Oh, not at all. I'm just a little dizzy," she assured him. Red soon replaced the color on her cheeks when she felt Roxas squeeze her hand. Fortunately, the dark obscured their features.

"Okay…" Roxas responded, not quite convinced. He had to think of something to distract her from her uneasiness. But he came up with blank. Suddenly, a loud boom resonated in the air, startling them both. Bright red, green, and blue fireworks streaked throughout the black sky. He gasped and reached out to touch them. They were created by magic.

Yuffie giggled at Roxas' childish curiosity. He was so much like Sora sometimes. "Yep, they're not ordinary fireworks. They were made by magic. Not sure how but when you're as experienced as Merlin in wizardry, you can do some pretty neat stuff."

Roxas grinned, making a mental note to thank the old wizard. He was surprised and thankful that Yuffie didn't seem to notice that they were at the top of the Ferris wheel.

After the fireworks were over, their compartment jolted then descended. Yuffie abruptly remembered her motion sickness and felt her stomach clench painfully. "Ugh…"

Luckily, she held out, at least until the ride was over. Roxas helped her out, blissfully unaware of the following occurrence.

"Blegh!"

That was when Roxas learned the hard way that Yuffie had motion sickness not a fear of heights.


	15. Endless Summer

**Chibified**

_Shizuka Usagi_

* * *

Chapter 15

"I'm so sorry, Roxas."

"It's okay, Yuff, really."

"But your shirt…"

Roxas and Yuffie were in the family restroom, attempting to rid his shirt of a stain. She just happened to puke at an inopportune moment. And lucky number thirteen had the joy of getting her brunch all over him. Yuffie flushed with embarrassment, almost on the verge of tears. Seeing this, he tried to console her.

"Yuffie, it's not your fault. Things like this happen all the time," Roxas insisted.

_Oh yeah, I'm sure Aerith has heaved in Spike's hair before_, she thought ironically. She sniffed and pathetically poured more hand soap on the ugly, yellow-green spot.

"I don't think this is going to work. This needs to be laundered with detergent," Roxas stated, wringing his jacket. "We'll have to ask if they provide this service at the hotel."

"If they do, I'll pay for it. It's only right," Yuffie replied as Roxas put his soiled clothes in a bag. He looked up when she said this and shook his head.

"Forget it. I'll deal with it. You should take it easy," Roxas persisted. _If anything, it was my fluke for forcing you to come with me._

"If you say so," Yuffie sighed, finally giving in. Were it anyone else, she wouldn't have backed down. However, he was just as stubborn as she was. Arguing back and forth wouldn't get them anywhere. She would have to find some other way to make it up to him. For now, he was right, she should take it easy. It wouldn't be pretty sight if she hurled on the way back.

Once their predicament was sorted out, Yuffie suddenly realized Roxas would have to go back bare-chested. The weather wouldn't cause a problem, since the night was cool but not chilly. But the amusement park's rules and regulations stated shirts and shoes must be worn at all times.

"You can't walk around shirtless, you know," Yuffie pointed out blatantly. Surprisingly, she didn't swoon at the sight like many other girls would've done. She supposed she was used to it by now. After all, she had trained with Leon in the waterways of Transverse Town and Cloud in Hollow Bastion.

But she had to admit, even if he was a bit gaunt, he wasn't badly defined.

"I know," he responded, somewhat timid of her gaze on him. The only girl who had seen him like this was Olette, and she was a childhood friend. Yuffie… he wasn't quite sure what relationship he had with her. To others, he would simply say they were companions. However, from their private interactions the past few weeks, it seemed like something deeper.

"Wait here," Yuffie commanded after a moment of contemplation, "I'll be right back." With that, she took her munny pouch and headed out the door.

After hearing the door shut, Roxas sighed and slouched against the wall. He was stuck in the family restroom until she brought him a top. Or, at least, that's what he assumed she was getting.

—

"You've got to be kidding me…" the blonde muttered, staring at the most hideous shirt he had even seen.

"Hehe, sorry but everything else sold out," Yuffie notified. "The demand for carnival goods was much higher than we expected."

_I can't believe she expects me to wear that, _Roxas thought in disbelief, looking disdainfully toward a hot pink T-shirt with the slogan, 'It takes a real man to wear pink.' He could just picture the looks on his friends' faces. Hayner would die laughing, Pence would have a perfect opportunity for blackmail, and Olette would shake her head in disapproval.

"I can't believe they actually sell this stuff," the ninja commented, taking the words out of his mouth.

Roxas frowned. "Shouldn't you know about that?"

"Nope," Yuffie responded cheerfully. "Tifa and Aerith are in charge of the merchandise. My job is to spread information about events hosted by the HRBC."

_That makes sense. She is quite a social butterfly, _Roxas mused.

"Anyway, you should get dressed. The carnival will be closing soon," Yuffie said.

He groaned and threw on the shirt reluctantly. _Thank goodness it's dark outside. _

—

Roxas yawned and plopped his head on the starchy pillow. _Today, sure has been a long day_, he thought tiredly. _I can only imagine what tomorrow will bring—especially with the unpredictable Yuffie. _

"Here are your clothes, Roxas. The maid just brought them in," the ninja announced, closing the door of their suite.

"Thanks, Yuff. Just leave them on the dresser," Roxas told her. "I'm turning in for the night."

Yuffie dutifully placed the clothes on the dresser, folded and neat, just as he had asked. Then she kneeled on the makeshift sleeping bed next to him. "Already? Sheesh, you sure don't have a lot of energy. It's only 7 o' clock."

"Well, being twirled around and upside down takes a lot of energy out of you," Roxas notified, shifting on his side toward her. "Aren't you even the least bit tired? If you don't recall, you lost your brunch earlier this evening."

Yuffie chewed on her lip. "Yeah, but I feel better now…"

Roxas realized from the remorse in her eyes that his tone was bitter. "I didn't mean it in a bad way, Yuff. It's just that most people don't spring back from heaving their insides so easily."

Yuffie scowled. "Thanks for putting it so nicely."

Roxas winced, sitting up. "Sorry, Yuff. I've been feeling a little strange since we got back from the carnival."

"Motion sickness isn't contagious as far as I know," Yuffie informed sarcastically, not buying his apology.

"I mean it. Maybe it's from something I ate. Or…" Roxas trailed off. _No, it couldn't be him. _

"Or what?" Yuffie asked cautiously, noticing a serious look on his face.

"Nothing. I'll just get some rest and see if I'm better in the morning. Night," Roxas said quickly, laying back down and throwing the covers over him. He turned around and buried his face in the blanket.

"Good night," Yuffie replied, giving him a concerned look. _I wonder what's up with him. I hope it has nothing to do with me. _Though, she didn't give it too much thought, and before long she retired as well.

—

"Roxas…? Roxas!"

The blonde stirred from hearing his name being called. He opened his eyes slowly, taking in the sight around him. The dark-haired ninja hovered over him. Desperation and fear were written all over her face. Bewildered, he attempted to sit up. However, his muscles felt rigid, and he couldn't move.

"Y—Yuffie? What's going on? Is this a dream?" Roxas tried to ask all at once. His mouth seemed to be the only mechanism in his body that was working.

"I don't know. I—I just woke up and saw you were glowing!" she managed to spit out.

"Glowing?" he repeated. Suddenly, his bleary eyes widened at the reflection in the mirror behind her. His body was radiating a soft, yellow hue unlike any he had seen before. Unbeknownst to the two caretakers, it was much like when Sora contracted the Time Reversal Curse.

"What's happening? What should we do?" Yuffie panicked, rummaging through her suitcase for restorative items.

"Calm down, Yuffie. I don't think those are going to help. We should—" Roxas was cut off from a loud ringing.

_Bring, Bring. _Yuffie stiffed at the sound then relaxed slightly. It was just the phone. But who would be calling at this hour…? Could it be?

"Answer the phone. It might be Merlin and the others," Roxas requested.

She nodded slowly and got up to answer the phone. "Hello?"

"That you, Yuffie? It's Riku. Is everything all right over there?" Riku inquired. His normally nonchalant tone had a hint of uneasiness.

"Actually, we're in the bit of a bind right now. You see, Roxas is—"

"Glowing?" he finished.

"Yeah. How did you know? Something… isn't wrong with Sora, is there?" Yuffie questioned.

There was a pause on the other line. "I think you should see it for yourself. Let's just say he's having a similar reaction."

"I would like to, Riku, but Roxas is disabled at the moment. He can't move an inch," Yuffie answered.

"I figured as much. That's why Merlin is going to teleport you here,"

"Teleport! How? That spell is quite difficult even for an experienced wizard."

"There's no other option at the moment. I'm told he only uses this in emergencies and it drains a lot of magic power. So it's best that we get this right the first time. I've give you instructions."

"What's Riku saying?" Roxas asked.

"He's saying that Merlin's going to teleport us to his house," Roxas raised a brow in disbelief, but Yuffie continued, "I don't know how exactly, but there's nothing else we can do."

"Alright, first step is to…" Yuffie returned her attention to the phone, "…sit next to Roxas."

She complied and awaited further instructions. "Contact him physically to ensure your atoms don't get dispersed."

"What?" Yuffie exclaimed.

"Er—hold his hand so you two won't end up in different locations," Riku clarified.

The shinobi intertwined her fingers with Roxas'. He looked at her strangely. "Just following procedures," she replied shyly.

"Last step—this is the most important part—close your eyes and picture Merlin's house as best as you can."

"Picture Merlin's house in your head," Yuffie mumbled, shutting her eyes. Roxas mimicked her.

"Get ready. We'll take care of it from here," Riku finished, hanging up. With her free hand, Yuffie placed the phone back in the cradle and waited.

Abruptly, the duo was enveloped in a blinding light. Roxas gasped and his eyes fluttered open. Yuffie tightened her grip, wordlessly reminding him to focus. He closed his eyes and continued to concentrate. The blonde started to feel a tingling sensation throughout his body. It was as if his atoms and molecules were being rearranged. A moment later, he lost consciousness.

—

"It's good to see you safe and sound," someone said.

"I'm fine, but Roxas didn't take it as well as I did," another voice responded.

"Not to worry, the lad will be fine. It was his first time, after all."

"I hate to interrupt, but we should check up on Sora. Roxas will be awake soon," a third voice stated.

"Right," the first two voices agreed, and there was the sound of shoes shuffling up the stairs.

Roxas grunted and sat up once again. He realized that he was now mobile, so he threw his legs over the side of the bed and stood up. _So far, so good. _Before observing his surroundings, he brushed a long, white hair from his shirt. From this, he concluded that he had been lying in Merlin's cot.

Roxas guessed that he had lost consciousness during the teleportation process. Though slightly embarrassed, he supposed he should be grateful that he got to Merlin's house in one piece. Also, he was glad that Yuffie was alright. Speaking of which, where was the shinobi?

At that moment, he heard a gasp and saw a billow of smoke coming from the second floor. Immediately, he sprinted up the steps and stopped in front of the guest room.

"Hehe, hey guys…"

The blonde gaped. It was Sora. But it was not the little brunette that he remembered…

In other words, he was back to normal.

"Sora!" Yuffie shrieked, rushing over to the brunette and wrapping him in a bear hug.

Riku simply smirked and Merlin let out a sigh of relief. Roxas couldn't believe his eyes. How could he change back so soon? Just three days ago, he couldn't have been more than three feet tall. That meant he grew about twice that size in a matter of hours. His head spun just wondering how that was scientifically possible.

"You need to stop overanalyzing things. Be happy that you don't have to play the babysitter anymore." Riku clapped Roxas on the back, bringing him out of his reverie.

"I am. You need to stop being so casual," he snapped.

The silver haired enigma chuckled. "No need to be so touchy, Roxy. Go see your family."

The blonde huffed, not bothering to retort. He moved over to the ninja and the keyblade bearer, who was lying in bed with a cheesy grin on his face. "Not going to change back on us, are you, Sora?"

Sora laughed. "I don't think so. I'm feeling a lot better now—thanks to you guys. Though, I have to admit, it was kind of fun being a kid again."

"You mean you were conscious during that time?" Yuffie asked in surprise.

"Hmm… I have bits and pieces of memory. Not a whole lot—but enough to get the gist of what was going on."

"That is good to hear, Sora. We are all glad to see you are in good health," Merlin said.

"Me too, but to be honest, all those potions and stuff were kind of unnecessary…"

"What!" Roxas and Yuffie exclaimed.

"I think all I needed was a break from all the fighting. The darkness was beginning to feel overwhelming," Sora admitted softly, "I guess my body decided to go back to a time when my heart was full of light and happiness."

"That makes sense. Childhood is usually the time when the heart is most pure," Riku said.

"Still, how was his body able to do that? It defies all sense of logic," Roxas questioned.

"The heart cannot be defined by logic, Roxas," Merlin declared wisely.

"He's right," Yuffie agreed, swinging her legs back and forth from her seat on Sora's bed. "There are just some mysteries that can't be solved."

"It could also have to do with the keyblade. Choosing its wielder might not be the only power it has." Sora brought up an interesting point.

"True," Roxas replied.

"Now that that is settled, um… mind giving me my old clothes back?" Sora inquired bashfully. His current attire was ripped from the transformation process.

"Oh! I'll take care of that." Yuffie volunteered, hastily exiting the room.

—

For Roxas, today was the last day of summer vacation. He was leaving with Goofy and Donald by gummi ship. Riku had disappeared mysteriously the night before. He was never one for goodbyes. Sora, on the other hand, decided to tag along for old time's sake. Not only that, but school in the Destiny Islands would start soon as well. Merlin, Yuffie, and the rest of the HBRC were seeing them off in the town square.

After everyone bid them adieu, Yuffie gave Roxas a personal goodbye. She placed him in a headlock and grinding his skull playfully. "You better not forget me, Roxy-poo."

"Believe me. You've been permanently stamped into my memory," he wisecracked, rubbing his sore head.

"That was my intention," she stated, sticking her tongue out.

The blonde smiled genuinely. He was really going to miss the hyperactive ninja. She brought a lot of liveliness into his existence. Not a day went by without being filled with energy and enthusiasm. Regardless of who was watching, he locked her into his embrace. "Thanks, Yuffie."

Yuffie was shocked at his rare show of affection, but she returned it wholeheartedly. The crowd hushed not wanting to ruin their moment. She wasn't quite sure what he was thanking her for, but she went along with it. "Aww… you're welcome," she whispered, reveling in the warmth that he provided. "And don't make it sound like this is the last time I'll ever see you," she continued. "There's always winter and spring break."

"And, of course, the endless summer," Roxas added.

"Yes, the endless summer," Yuffie repeated, grinning.

"Alright, you two lovebirds, time to go," Sora announced as they released each other. Neither of them blushed or shied away this time. What they felt was natural. It was nothing to be embarrassed about. Besides, they could always tease him over his secret crush.

Roxas and Sora boarded the gummi ship as Donald and Goofy ushered them inside. They could still hear the cheers from the townspeople of Hollow Bastion ringing in their ears. Roxas and Sora waved from the window, flashing their trademark grins until they disappeared into the atmosphere.

.· ´¨¨)) -:¦:-  
**THE END**¸.·´ .·´¨¨))  
((¸¸.·´ ..·´ -:¦:-  
-:¦:- ((¸¸.·´ ×

_Thanks for reading and reviewing._

— Shizuka


End file.
